To The Sound Of The Waves
by CanaanAlphardForever
Summary: One year after Canaan is given a mission to find the woman with one arm, Alphard's tracks go cold. No one can find her, and no one knows where she is. Canaan continues to search, bent on her building hatred and desire to defeat Alphard once and for all. 2 years later we find Canaan going to South Africa on a mission to stop a new Snake plan, is Alphard involved somehow?
1. Chapter 1: Bittersweet

Author's Note: The name of each chapter will be a song, which I think goes well with the chapter. Not all lyrics may apply -_- but the song itself sets a good atmosphere. I'll give the artist name here, and then the song name is the chapter's name, of course. So if you have this song (if not then try and get it) then listen to it while you read. I will also add a few lyrics of the song before each chapter. I figured that I would do something different. Now, do enjoy! And if not, let me know what I can do to improve (: (Song by Apocalyptica)

Chapter 1: Bittersweet

* * *

"_She is the one that I adore, queen of my silent suffocation. Break this bittersweet spell on me, lost in the arms of destiny. Bittersweet. I won't give up, I'm possessed by her. I'm bearing a cross, she's turned into my curse."_

* * *

Alphard slipped, gasping as she felt her body falling. In an instant a hand shot out and grabbed hold of her wrist. She looked up into Canaan's face, wondering why she had been saved.

"Why?" She asked. "If I die, history won't repeat itself! And you'll be freed from Siam's ghost."

"You always have a weird colour…" Canaan replied, strain evident in her voice. "Sometimes it's light brown like Siam's. And today, it's snow white. I've finally come to understand why. That's because you're already dead."

Alphard's eyes widened in surprise, but Canaan continued.

"From the moment Siam died you… your heart died. But I'm different!" The train moved on at high speed, gently swaying from side to side with Alphard hanging there over the side, Canaan supporting all of her weight. "Since that day I've met a lot of different people. And they became people I'll never forget. Time never stopped for me on that day! Your heart has already died. The right to decide is in the hands of those who are still alive. And I'm alive." Canaan's voice sounded strong, pleading. "So as a person who is still alive, I order you to quit dying!" She shouted, hoping in her heart that Alphard would listen.

"I won't let you die," Canaan continued, feeling a fiery determination to get her point across to her childhood companion. "If I can't save anyone today, it'll be like just on that day. I don't care if you're the one I have to save!"

Alphard sighed softly and closed her eyes, reopening them a second later. "Liang, you're right." She said softly to herself. "I'm definitely entrapped by the past." Alphard realized now that she had been stuck in the past, in what she had done, for so long. _I always thought that if I created a monster like Canaan, I… I would be able to get closer to Siam?_ Alphard thought. _Canaan was freed from Siam's ghost on that repeating day a long time ago… But I'm… _

"We have the same name…" This she said out loud, looking determinedly into Canaan's face. "We have the same tattoo…"

Canaan grunted and gripped the side of the train harder. Her movement caused her leg to knock her gun off of the side and drop down into Alphard's hand. Alphard caught it with a smirk, and Canaan looked on with widened eyes. _She wouldn't, would she?_ Canaan thought in panic.

"Siam," Alphard said. "You're always coiling around me. I'll release myself from the curse of the snake!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face, and pointed the gun at the white haired synesthete's panicked face. Her expression changed, from triumph to sadness. Such a deep sadness that it made Canaan's heart feel heavy.

Alphard turned the gun to her arm and continued to rip bullet after bullet through her flesh and bone. As she fell back, Canaan gasped, watching in horror as Alphard fell down into inky blackness.

Suddenly the scene changed. Canaan was the one falling with Alphard standing on the train, grinning, watching as she fell. Yet Canaan remained suspended in air. She tried to speak, to call out to the dark headed girl watching, but no sound left her lips. She watched Alphard laugh, and then silently screamed when Alphard raised a gun to her own head and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed everywhere and drowned Canaan, covering her and consuming her in the dark, warm liquid. "Canaan, Canaan, Canaan!" Alphard's deep voice filled her ears, and she screamed again.

Canaan screamed out loud and shot up in her bed, breathing hard and sweating. She stopped her screaming when she realized it had just been a dream. A nightmare.

"Alphard." She said with a mixture of anger and pain. Canaan covered her face with her hands and just sat there leaning against the wall. Her breathing, as well as her heart, eventually calmed down to its normal pace. Once she had regained control of her emotions she looked up and glanced at a picture stuck to her wall. It was a half to a whole, a picture of Alphard.

"Damn you, Alphard." Canaan whispered and ran her finger over the smiling face of Alphard. The piece of paper held her attention for a minute more, and then the synesthete climbed out of bed and glanced out of the window.

Canaan lived in a flat much like the one she had been in before. It was just as small, with a plain bed off to the right corner. A door to the left of the room led to her bathroom that contained a small shower, toilet and a sink with a mirror above it. On the left wall was a counter with a fridge and a microwave. There was a single table with one chair to occupy it, as Canaan lived a very solitary life. Her only visitor being Natsume Yuri, her employer.

On the right wall there was a sliding door opening to a tiny balcony, and on the wall opposite her bed was a small cupboard with her clothes. Canaan had a small TV on the table she used to eat on, and to keep track of any and all news regarding terrorist movements to find Alphard. The floor of her room was a dark brown carpet, with the walls painted grey.

Canaan glared out at the grey sky and then turned and headed into the bathroom. She closed the door and then turned the shower on, waiting for the water to reach its desired temperature, and then climbed in once it was good enough and she had undressed. The water felt satisfyingly hot against her skin, and she stood under the hard spray of water until Alphard's haunted blue eyes left her tormented mind.

Canaan finished up in the shower and went into her room to change. She retrieved her usual clothes from her cupboard and laid them out on her bed. She dressed and then gave herself a once over in the mirror on her cupboard door.

When the reflection presented back was good enough, Canaan nodded. She wore black boots, a black pants and a dark blue t-shirt.

Her Beretta Px4 Type G 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, which was her weapon of choice even now after all the time that had passed, sat snuggly against her hip.

The sun had risen higher and now the sky was a light pale blue. _Alphard…_ Canaan thought as an echo to her dream. She walked over to the window and stood there gazing out over the city.

"I will find you." Her breath caused vapour to form on the glass, but she didn't notice.

After getting a call from Yuri on a mission with the one armed woman, Canaan had been searching for Alphard. They had been tracking her for a year, but gradually sightings and any activity from the blue eyed terrorist waned and then stopped completely. After a full year, Alphard's tracks went cold. She was untraceable, and Canaan could not get any leads on her.

Another whole year had passed and Canaan still hunted for Alphard. An obsession that had started without her realization kept Canaan from moving on with her life. She had to find Alphard. She had to kill Alphard. For what she had done. For deciding to end it, to scaring Canaan for life on that day on the train.

"Alphard, why did you do it? Why wouldn't you let me save you?" Canaan felt familiar tears threaten to escape, but she swallowed them down and instead focused on the anger those memories brought.

_How could you? The moment I realize that hating you is useless, that you killing Siam happened and nothing could change it, you shoot your own arm off to escape from your own past? The moment I found I could forgive you, you ripped yourself from my grasp and gave birth to this new hatred I have for you. Alphard, where the hell are you?_

The rest of her thoughts were interrupted when her cellphone rang. It vibrated enthusiastically in her pocket until she retrieved it and answered the call.

"Canaan," The voice was instantly recognized as Yuri's "I have to see you urgently."

"See me? What is so urgent that you'd rather talk to me in person than on the phone?"

"Trust me, I like this less than you do, but it is very important. It's regarding your new mission."

"But you gave me a mission just yesterday." Canaan put her hand in her pocket and rested her head against the window.

"Yes, I know, complete that today because I will be there tonight with the details of your new mission."

Canaan remained silent for a moment, calculating her chances of finishing her current mission in time. "Okay." She said simply, and then ended the call before anything more could be said.

"Alright," Canaan said to no one in particular and turned towards her door. "I have a job to do." She opened the front door and disappeared from her apartment, on the hunt for her newest target.


	2. Chapter 2: Fade Out

Author's Note: If anyone is reading this then I hope you like it XD I personally love this story. I really, really, really love Canaan, and I have the biggest crush on Alphard. Lololol. Anyway! Thank you for making it to Chapter 2, hopefully Chapter 3 will be done and posted soon (: (Song by Seether)

Chapter 2: Fade Out

* * *

"_Fade out like a photograph, just a memory to forget. You burn black like a cigarette; I'll discard you when I'm done."_

* * *

The clouds overhead hung over the sky like a thick blanket, and the wind began to pick up with the smell of coming rain heavy in the air.

Canaan ran across rooftops, jumping from building to building until she reached her own flat. Being on the fourth floor, she jumped off of the neighbouring building and landed on her balcony. As expected her door was open and Yuri sat calmly on her chair, giving her an openly cold stare.

"You're late." Yuri said, her voice equally as cold as her glare.

"I'm here now." Canaan replied.

"Did you finish the mission?" The question went unanswered as Canaan sat down onto her bed and began cleaning her gun with a cloth. Yuri sighed. "Your new mission includes the Snake Organization." At this new bit of information Canaan snapped her head up and gave Yuri her full attention.

"Alphard?" The silver eyed girl said in a fast breath, releasing it in a frustrated puff when Yuri shook her head no.

"There has been absolutely no new information on Alphard since our last lead from 14 months ago. But anyway,"

"How can she just disappear?" Canaan stood up from her bed and began pacing. Yuri frowned and crossed her arms, waiting for Canaan's usual silent venting to end. When it did, Yuri continued.

"We have recently acquired solid information that the Snakes are planning a terrorist attack in South Africa. We have an informant within the team that was sent there, so he will give you more information as soon as you land."

"When am I leaving?"

Yuri was surprised for a moment. She never expected Canaan to accept the mission so quickly. She cleared her throat and adjusted the glasses on her nose.

"A plane will leave at 9PM tonight. You have 2 hours to pack and be there. Here is the name of the location." Yuri placed a slip of paper on the table and stood. "You know," She said as an afterthought, "You will never find Alphard, you should just give up. You are worse with your single mindedness now than you were when you wanted revenge for Siam's death."

Canaan never replied, she merely glared out of the window until she heard the door close which signified that Yuri had left.

_This is it! This must be Alphard, it has to be. _Canaan thought frantically and started pacing again. She threw suspicions and accusations around in her mind until she realized that she had wasted a full hour. With only one more hour left to get ready, Canaan took a hurried shower and then packed a bag for her trip.

She didn't have much to take other than the bare essentials, the few clothes she had and of course, her precious gun.

Once Canaan was packed and ready, she took the piece of paper Yuri had left for her and left her flat.

Canaan thought of Alphard as she walked down the street. She truly believed that Alphard had something to do with the Snake's new plan. _But why in South Africa?_ The young girl asked herself and bit down onto her lip. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she failed to realize she was being shot at until a bullet whizzed past her ear.

Canaan snapped out of her thoughts and turned her synesthesia on in an instant. With her ability she spotted 3 snipers on the buildings around her, each one having a blue hue around them which meant they had killing intent.

"Assassins?" Canaan asked herself and ducked behind a car to dodge another bullet. She looked around for an escape and noticed an alley between two buildings that two of the assassins were hidden on. Running as fast as she could, Canaan shot forward into the alley and then jumped up the wall and scaled her way up until she reached the top. Before the sniper could shoot her head off, she jumped up from the side of the building and pointed her gun at one of the assassin's heads, shooting him right between the eyes. He fell off of the roof and landed with a sickening crunch.

Still in the air, Canaan twisted her body and aimed her gun at the second man, shooting off three bullets. His body jerked to the right, to the left and then backwards. He fell into a defeated heap.

Canaan landed on the roof and dodged to the side to escape a bullet, dodging again to escape a second. She sensed the third assassin's position and ran towards the building in front of the one she was on. As she jumped and soared through the air multiple bullets shot past her, but each one missed. Her calculations were never wrong.

As Canaan neared the building, she pointed her gun and shot once. The bullet ripped through the third man's chest and pierced him straight in the heart. He was dead in seconds.

The synesthete landed and rolled onto her feet, breathing hard.

"Why were they trying to kill me?" She stood and walked over to the dead man surrounded by a pool of his blood. On his hand Canaan noted the Snake's emblem tattooed onto his skin. _So they managed to find out that I'm onto them? But how? And who found out?_

Canaan exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. She couldn't figure out how this could have happened. She had been on the mission for all of 2 hours and she was already being hunted down.

"It has to be you." She said with vehemence, glaring up at the dark sky. It had to be Alphard, she couldn't think of anyone else.

Time moved slowly as the face of her enemy flashed in her mind, and she saw those haunted blue eyes staring into her own. Canaan shook her head. She had to get to that plane, she was already extremely late.

Keeping her synesthesia on and staying on high alert, Canaan stealthily made her way to the location Yuri had given her and finally approached the plane.

"Just on time." A young man stood at the foot of the plane, smiling politely and holding a hand out towards the door of the plane.

Canaan just nodded at him and climbed up the stairs. She had no doubt that this was going to be a long trip.


	3. Chapter 3: Coloured

Author's Note: Okay, so firstly any locations I used will possibly be made up or just described with vague details. I haven't been to Mossel Bay so I don't know the place (yes, I am a South African). I decided, for logical's sake, that Canaan doesn't understand English or any of S.A's languages, as there are a lot. In the anime she speaks Japanese, so in this story that is the language she speaks. Should Canaan learn to speak English… hmmm… Anyway, forgive any wrong references to places in Mossel Bay (to the S.A dwellers who might read this) I tried -_- (Song by Leandra)

Chapter 3: Coloured

* * *

"_Your dream is not coloured, I think you should get back in time. Your dream is not coloured, you've never ordered me to draw a line. Your dream is not covered; I'll get you neither a pillow nor a blanket to define."_

* * *

Canaan watched Shanghai grow smaller and smaller as they flew away high up in the air. She didn't know what to expect when they landed, but she knew she had to start looking for anything Alphard related. _But they know I'm onto them and assigned to this mission._ Just as that train of thought entered Canaan's mind, her phone rang. She answered it absentmindedly as she continued to stare out of the window.

"Canaan, we have a problem." Yuri said over the line, and Canaan swore she could hear Yuri's frown.

"Someone found out that I was hired by you to take the Snakes down, and now they are trying to take me out."

"Yes. We must have a traitor within our organisation." Yuri trailed off and remained silent for a few seconds. The synesthete just sat there and quietly waited for Yuri to come back to reality. "Your information has been leaked, stay on the look out and be very careful. You could possibly be assassinated at the airport."

"Can't we change airports then?"

"I've already changed plans. You will be landing in a remote area close to Mossel Bay. We can't afford to get the plane damaged." Canaan blinked.

"Will I have to walk all the way into town?" Canaan asked and rested her head against the plane window, still keeping a steady gaze outside.

"It seems so. Get there and report back to me so that I can send a new person if you're dead."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence."

"Don't mention it." Yuri replied sarcastically.

"You do know I demand a bonus for this." Canaan added confidently.

"Never thought you wouldn't, just do your job."

Canaan smiled for the first time in long time. _This better not kill me_, she thought to herself in amusement

The rest of the plane ride went without incident and soon Canaan had to put the seatbelt on for their decent. She watched as trees came into view, growing in size the lower they descended, until the plane jumped when the tires made contact with the ground. A few minutes later the plane came to a halt, and the young man who had accompanied Canaan escorted her out of the plane.

"There was a car ready to take you to meet Yukino-sama, the informant within Snake, but as you know, plans changed. Here is where he wants to meet," The man handed an envelope to Canaan with a polite smile. "You should hurry or you will be late. Best of luck."

Canaan thanked him and then turned, heading off in the direction of one of Mossel Bay's malls, Langeberg mall.

Once there Canaan rested at the entrance and just watched people for a few moments. South Africa was a lot different from her home country. The people and their culture were so diverse, yet they all coincided together so well. As well as their diverse traditions, Canaan realized for the first time that she didn't speak any of South Africa's languages. She couldn't understand anyone around her.

She could pick out a few English words here and there, but everything else sounded strange to her ears.

"This is just getting better." Canaan muttered to herself in her familiar Japanese tongue.

She entered the mall and headed to the destination Yukino had picked out, Wimpy. She hoped she wasn't so late that he had left; otherwise she would really be in trouble.

"Canaan?" A deep voice called softly to her from a table at the very back of the restaurant. Canaan made her way over to the man who had concealed himself with a hat and glasses, and wore a jacket with the collar pulled up.

"Yukino?" Canaan asked.

"Hai." The man nodded his head and looked around for anything suspicious. Canaan took a seat in front of him.

"Don't worry, if there is any danger I will know." Red eyes stared back at Yukino, and he understood at once. Canaan's synesthesia wasn't a secret anymore, and almost all of the Snake members knew or had at least heard about it.

"The Snakes have a hideout somewhere here in Mossel Bay." Yukino began, but paused and remained silent. Canaan sighed and removed an envelope full of money from her bag. She placed it on the table and then sat back with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Talk and it's yours." She said.

Yukino nodded. "They have a beach house on Pinnacle Point Beach. An expensive looking place too. I have a map here of the route there and then a blue print of the house." Yukino placed an envelope of his own on the table, and slowly he and Canaan exchanged packages.

Yukino checked the money for the right amount and then nodded in satisfaction.

"Is that all you have? What about their plans? Do you know why they are in this country?"

Yukino removed his face from inside the envelope and shook his head, getting the smell of money out of his mind so that he could concentrate.

"All I've been told is that the Ua Virus is here and they plan to use it. I don't know where, no one knows the whole plan yet. The Boss lady is keeping the plan to herself now; all she gives us are orders without much explanation." Yukino slipped the envelope inside of his pocket and adjusted the sunglasses perched on his nose. "That's all I have, now if you'll excuse me I have to –"

"Wait." Canaan pinned him down with a hard stare. "Answer me honestly or I will shoot you without hesitation, do you understand?"

Yukino blinked, wondering what the hell he had done in the span of 3 seconds to anger the freaky white haired girl. He just gulped and nodded his head.

"Is Alphard your boss? Is she here, working on this terrorist attack?" Canaan held her breath, watching him with her synesthesia to make sure that he wasn't lying to her. She watched his colours change from relief to confusion.

"Alphard? I haven't heard that name in a long time. No, Canaan, there's no Alphard here. We have a new woman leading the Snakes." Yukino's colours showed no indication of dishonesty, yet Canaan refused to believe him.

"Are you absolutely sure she has nothing to do with this?" She pressed.

"Trust me, we miss being under Alphard's rule. This new leader is even more psychotic than Liang Qi was. Alphard disappeared many months ago, not even we know why she left or where she went to. If she is part of this, then she has done a damn good job at staying invisible. I don't know what else to tell you. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, sure." Canaan relented, and watched as the man stood and left the Wimpy restaurant. She couldn't understand this.

_How can this be true? What is Alphard planning that would require her to stay completely invisible for over a year? Could it be that I'm wrong?_

_No, I can't be. This is Alphard. The same person who killed my only family… her only family. The person who has done terrible things, killed many and destroyed even more lives with her terrorism. There is no way it isn't Alphard. _

"Excuse me?"

Canaan turned towards the voice. A waitress had stopped at her table, obviously wondering why there was an odd looking person sitting alone, staring intensely at the wall as if it would tell her the secrets of life. The waitress had spoken in English, and Canaan had a vague idea of what the person had said, so she just smiled and shook her head, and then got up and left.

She had nothing more to do than go to the hotel Yuri had booked for her, and so, with a new objective in mind, Canaan tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and headed off to the desired location.

It had gotten late and darkness was starting to fall. The sky was greying and tiny spots of light were gradually growing brighter, yet the weather was warm and cheerful, a  
contradiction to Canaan's inner storm. She shuffled along with her head down and her hand in her pocket, a grumpy frown pasted firmly on her lips.

This continued for a considerable amount of time until Canaan sighed. She stopped walking and just stood there, not knowing what to do. She felt deflated and depressed. The possibility of Alphard being here had kept her fired up, but now she truly doubted the Snake's former leader being in South Africa. It was childish of her to chase after invisible leads and to reject the truth that repeatedly slapped her in the face.

_Maybe Yuri was right, maybe I'll never find Alphard…_

Thinking that made Canaan's heart clench. She couldn't imagine doing anything other than trying to find Alphard. Sure, she did jobs for Yuri, but her main objective had always been finding the Snake leader. It was all she desired and thought about.

"Ugh I'm thinking too much!" Canaan exclaimed to herself and received a few puzzled glances from the pedestrians around her. The people of South Africa weren't accustomed to random foreign girls talking to themselves in Japanese right in public.

Feeling a fresh bout of frustration fill her chest, Canaan exhaled an angry breath and took off walking at a fast speed. She hardly paid attention to anything in front of her, her desire to get to her hotel and away from people clouding her mind.

Suddenly someone unknowingly stepped in front of Canaan, causing the silver eyed girl and the stranger to collide and fall down onto the ground.

"Sumimasen," The stranger said. "I mean, I'm so sorry!"

Canaan had never felt so completely paralyzed by shock than at that moment. Her whole body froze the moment that familiar voice had reached her ears.

The person stood and so did Canaan, having snapped out of her trance almost immediately as the anger and hurt readily consumed her from the inside out.

"Alphard." Canaan spat the word out, staring at the figure in front of her.

"C-Canaan?" Alphard took a fast step back, unable to believe her eyes.

Canaan didn't even hesitate to lunge forward with a fist aimed right at Alphard's jaw. When her hand connected with Alphard's face, Canaan jerked in surprise. She hadn't expected the punch to hit.

Alphard cursed and stumbled backwards, dropping the bag of groceries she had been holding. She opened her eyes just in time to see the sole of Canaan's shoe before it connected to the side of her head and sent her flying to the ground. She grunted in pain and managed to roll onto her hands and knees in time to miss being kicked again.

Alphard stumbled to her feet, turned and started running as fast as she could while keeping a hand pressed to her jaw. She couldn't decide if her jaw or temple hurt worse, all she knew was that she had to get away from a very pissed Canaan before the young girl killed her. She didn't have time to wonder how the hell Canaan had found her or why she seemed so incredibly upset.

_Has she been mad at me this whole time? I thought we resolved our whole issue on the train_, Alphard thought frantically and turned into an alley. She heard no footsteps behind her or the sound of anyone near, so she stopped running and leaned heavily against the wall.

"Haven't been hit like that in a long time." Alphard muttered and checked her split lip, confirming her suspicion of blood when her finger was painted red. "Damnit."

A sound made her turn around just in time to see Canaan sending another punch her way. This time Alphard's instincts kicked in, and she caught the hand and held it in a vice like grip. She pushed Canaan back and attempted to turn and run, but Canaan jumped onto her back and put her into a headlock.

_Shit,_ Alphard thought and dropped to her knees, holding onto Canaan's arm that was wrapped around her neck. She honestly couldn't breathe.

"C…an…aan…" Alphard gasped and struggled, praying the synesthete wasn't planning on snapping her neck, because if she was then she had the perfect opportunity to do it. "Canaan!" Alphard tried again only to receive no reply. She gasped and struggled, wondering if Canaan was actually going to kill her, when suddenly her neck was released and she was lifted. Canaan slammed Alphard into the wall and pushed the nozzle of her gun against the former Snake leader's head.

"Any last words?" Canaan asked in a stone cold voice, giving Alphard such a cold stare that the taller woman shivered.

"Canaan, wait!"

The gun warmed up against Alphard's skin.

"Please! Don't do this!" Alphard swallowed hard.

"Shut up!" Canaan ordered.

"Canaan, just wait. Listen to me, damnit!"

The synesthete's finger tightened on the trigger, causing the gun to press harder against Alphard's head.

"Canaan, wait!" Alphard tried one last time, hoping that Canaan would just listen to her and let her go. Her breathing had turned into scared gasps, and in some part of her brain that she no longer used, a little voice laughed at her pathetic situation and pointed out that Alphard had never cowered for anyone before. A second voice told the first to shut up, and it soon complied.

"Canaan." Alphard said slowly, having calmed herself and regained her usual confident composure.

"Shut up."

"Canaan." Alphard took a breath, feeling Canaan's hand tighten around the gun.

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

The angry shout was soon followed by a deafening blow. The echo of the gunshot rang out and inside of the alley, bouncing against the walls. And then all too soon, the scene fell into silence.


	4. Chapter 4: Without You

Author's Note: (Song by Ashes Remain)

Chapter 4: Without You

* * *

"_Underneath the cold November sky, I'll wait for you. As the pages of my life roll by, I'll wait for you. I'm so desperate just to see your face, meet me in this broken place. Even if you take it all away, I'll wait for you. Even when the light begins to fade, I'll wait for you."_

* * *

A scrap of paper flew about in the air, moving and twirling with the wind. It rose high up into the air, floating past two figures sprawled out on the ground. The wind continued to carry the piece of paper with it as well as a series of grunts and gasps.

Canaan lay on the ground on her back with Alphard pinning her down. The gun travelled back and forth between the synesthete and the former Snakes leader and their hearts pounded to the pace of their erratic breathing.

"Canaan." Alphard grunted and tried to pull the gun away from her former enemy. She didn't know how or why, but in the second before that bullet had taken her life, Alphard had managed to use a tremendous burst of strength and trip Canaan. While that took place the bullet had left the gun, but Alphard had moved in time and managed to escape certain death. She was injured however, because the bullet had grazed her across her eyebrow. A steady stream of blood trickled down her face and dripped onto Canaan's cheek due to the close proximity of their faces. _Just like old times_, Alphard thought.

"Let go of me!" Canaan demanded and pulled the gun back, turning it around and attempting to point it at her adversary's head once more. Alphard managed to keep the gun pointed at the sky, and frantically thought of a way to escape.

"Let me leave and I will release you. Don't make me hurt you Canaan."

"Ha! Hurt me? You wouldn't hesitate to hurt me!"

Alphard sighed in frustration and just did what she had to do. She pulled the gun back and then slammed it down onto the side of Canaan's head, knocking her out immediately.

"I'm sorry." Alphard said softly and took a moment to rest.

After a moment Alphard stood up and started walking away, only sparing a single glance at the white haired synesthete still sprawled out on the ground. "I'm sorry, Canaan." She whispered again, and then walked away without looking back twice.

Alphard walked away from civilization and into a field that ended in countless trees. There she made her journey to her beach house in a secluded area at the end of the treeline and right by the beach.

Alphard reached her house and walked familiar steps up the porch stairs and then through the front door. The inside of her house remained silent in a thick blanket of darkness that covered her, and then swallowed her whole when she crossed the threshold into her small piece of existence.

She kept the lights off and walked on sure feet through the lounge, into the passage and then at last into the bathroom. Alphard did not switch this light on either because she just felt more comfortable in the dark, considering her recent encounter.

Using her heightened sense of touch due to her lack of sight, Alphard removed the First Aid kit from the bathroom cabinet. Without looking, confident fingers cleaned and covered her wound. After that task was done, Alphard went down to the beach and just sat on the warm sand. She gazed out over the horizon until the sun had completely descended.

She finally stood and headed to her room to get ready for bed.

Clad in a t-shirt and boxers, Alphard climbed into bed and laid down onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She still couldn't figure out how Canaan had managed to find her.

"Was she really looking for me, or is this fate?" Alphard asked herself and raised her left arm towards the ceiling.

She ran her eyes over the outline of her arm, feeling both guilt and relief wash over her. This was the arm she had shot off in her attempt to escape her own hell of a past.

"I don't deserve this." She said, closing her eyes and remembering that day on the train. Canaan had tried to save her, despite all she had done. Alphard exhaled slowly, recalling the feel of Canaan's strong hand trembling around her wrist. Her fingers twitched at the phantom sensation of warmth and softness.

She swore that she could hear the roar of the moving train and feel the violent wind whipping against her body. When she opened her eyes, it was as if she was staring up into Canaan's determined face, looking into her pleading eyes.

"Despite what you think, Canaan, it had to be done."

The ghost of Siam had never left her. It had always been with her and tormented her in every thought and dream. She could never get over her past, over losing everyone and everything, and then losing the essence of who she was. She thought that by attacking the world, thereby attacking those who had wronged her, she would find justice for the pain inflicted on her. She thought that in doing so, it would fill the empty void inside of her heart.

But that foolishly naïve belief had led to her hanging over the side of a train, regret and pain weighing her down with death a more certain thing than air. But even so, Canaan had been there. Canaan had tried to save her which was something Alphard would never have imaged possible. She never thought that it would be Canaan's arm that would reach out to her. She would never have conceived the possibility of it being Canaan's hand in which she was given a chance.

But she couldn't accept it. Not the kindness or the help, not even the possibility of being allowed to live. How could she? After all she had done. Alphard had killed Siam and had done many terrible things as a terrorist leader. She had tried to destroy Canaan, to kill her.

Oh the bitter irony of life sometimes. Both had been fighting to the death, yet Canaan had saved her when she should have laughed as Alphard fell.

How could she ever deserve the right to accept such an act of sweet mercy? And so fate had handed a gun to her and she took it as a sign. Death was all that remained for her. But death never took her. She washed up onto land and was found by a man who had been fishing in the area. He had taken her to the hospital which was where she had woken up a few days later. She left an hour after waking.

Alphard had gone down a scary path after that. She developed an intense hatred towards Canaan and rested full blame onto her for the loss of her heart and soul, as well as her arm. She spent a full month in one of the Snake's laboratories to regrow her arm, and once it had, she focused on strengthening her new limb as well as the rest that remained. Defeating Canaan for real was her only objective. It was all she thought about and she couldn't win while being handicapped. As much as her hatred grew, the reasons for it faded until she had no reason for her ill feelings for the synesthete, but sill she stubbornly continued on her destructive path.

Alphard spent the next 2 months planning. She hardly slept and she ate even less. When 5 months from the day on the train had passed, Alphard had reached a new level of insanity. She had completely lost any sense of reality because all she thought about was Canaan.

Her new second in command, Alexander, had always tried to get Alphard away from the subject of Canaan. They had argued countless times about the matter. Alexander, being a loyal young woman, tried whenever she could to get her boss back.

But her attempts had all failed, until the day she had reached her level of endurance and had made a very bad comment that she should never have made. This had infuriated Alphard so much that the argument turned violent.

Alexander was by no means weak, and fought back just as hard as her boss. They fought with guns ablaze. Eventually, though, something Alexander said had reached Alphard and their fighting stopped. That was the moment that Alphard realized that she had no reason. No fact to base her emotional state on concerning Canaan.

She had been running in countless circles because she was lost. She had expected to die on that day, but for some reason she hadn't.

Had it been meant as her punishment for all of her heinous actions?

Or maybe her surviving had no meaning other than she just survived due to natural elements being in the right order.

Either way, Alphard began to realize that her surviving shouldn't be a curse, but instead a chance to start over. Her new arm, now inkless and free, was her sign of a fresh start.

That tattoo had always been a blaring reminder of what she was and what she had done, but now that it was gone, she felt a burden lifted from her shoulders. She could gaze at her new arm with a sense of awe and peace.

Alphard had woken from her nightmare. Slowly she withdrew from the Snakes and anything related to them. Her past, as well as terrorism, was accepted as nothing more than the past and discarded like the baggage it was, and Alphard disappeared the moment an opportunity to do so presented itself. South Africa had been a decision made on a whim, something she figured no one would guess if they were to look for her.

For once in her life, Alphard felt like she could breathe without having a snake coiled around her heart and throat. She was free, to do whatever her heart desired, and that is what she did.

Alphard wanted nothing more than a peaceful life, which was what she found when she stumbled upon an old shack in the middle of nowhere by the beach. It was hidden so well by the trees that you would never find it if you weren't looking for it. It was pretty run down and would need a lot of money and effort to be restored. Money wasn't an issue however, because Alphard had secured a very large amount of money from the Snakes to support herself. She would never need to work again.

To keep herself busy more than anything, Alphard spent 6 months rebuilding the old shack. She extended it as best she could considering the surrounding vegetation, and then fully furnished it when it was done. It was her own little masterpiece and a source of pride for her. Her little slice of a peaceful existence. Now she helped the community when she could by donating money and visiting the local orphanage, not that anyone would ever believe her capable of doing so. She didn't much care what people thought.

Alphard sighed. It was unpleasant for her to remember her old terrorist self and all that had resulted of it. To think that the merciless and fearless Alphard was now a peaceful and understanding hermit, was often funny to her. Not even she could fully believe it. Now she actually had a conscience.

Speaking of conscience… Alphard could tell that she was beginning to worry. _Is Canaan okay? Maybe I shouldn't have just left her there unconscious and alone, _she thought to herself.

Telling herself that didn't do much to stop her mind from worrying, however. Alphard turned onto her stomach and looked out of the sliding door in her room and up to the full, luminous moon.

_She's fine, Canaan is strong. She can protect herself if she needs to._

As much as she tried, her self reassurances only succeeded in keeping her awake with guilt and worry.

"Damn this new sense of right and wrong." Alphard muttered and climbed out of bed. She headed to the unused portion of her cupboard and opened it. For a few moments she just stood there and stared.

"It's been a while since I've worn these." She said as she pulled the items of clothing out and started putting them on. Her gun sat at the bottom of her cupboard in the corner, locked in a safe. For a second Alphard considered retrieving it.

The thought was dismissed almost immediately, and Alphard closed the doors and left her room to escape the alluring desire to feel the cool metal of the gun in her hand.

_I made a promise,_ she thought fiercely. _I cannot let myself be that again, I just can't._

"Here I come, Canaan."

Alphard disappeared into the night, her coat fluttering about in the wind. She turned into a silent figure floating passed the trees.

She reached civilisation but not much later she heard the distantly familiar sound of rapid gunfire. It had to be Canaan.

Alphard's coat whipped around violently, and then she started to run.


	5. Chapter 5: Savin' Me

Author's Note: This is the song I used for an AMV of mine (Canaan and Alphard – Savin' me by Storm Demante, if you want to go and Youtube it), so I thought it would be creative to use it in a different medium too. (Song by Nickelback)

Chapter 5: Savin' Me

* * *

"_Prison gates won't open up for me. On these hands and knees I'm crawling. Oh, I reach for you. Well I'm terrified of these four walls, these iron bars can't hold my soul in. All I need is you, come please I'm callin'. And oh I scream for you, hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'."_

* * *

The streets of Mosel Bay remained calm save for the gentle sound of waves in the distance. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or as it shouldn't be. A dark figure darted down the street and silently moved from building to building.

A single gunshot rang out from the distance that was then followed by silence. The silent figure ran faster, this time with a clear direction to head in. Moments later Alphard burst from the trees and stopped in a park. She was breathing heavily from running and now took a moment to rest.

"Canaan?" She called out and waited. The gunfire had definitely come from this park, but it remained empty except for a gentle breeze. Alphard walked forward, still breathing hard, and scanned the area for any hidden figures.

_Having synesthesia would be really helpful right now_, Alphard thought with a grin.

"Canaan! Are you here?" She called out again.

The sound off footsteps behind her made Alphard turn around in an instant, but there was no one there. It was difficult to properly distinguish the shadows in the darkness because Alphard was tired and the street light wasn't casting a bright enough light.

Another footstep sounded to her left, and she turned around only to be met with air. There was another sound in the trees and then rapid footsteps on the other side of the park.

Alphard walked in the direction of the footsteps with her heart beating wildly. A flush of adrenalin surged throughout her body with each step closer.

"Canaan are yo-" A slim form shot out from the top of a tree and knocked into Alphard, sending her flying to the ground. She landed with a thud onto her back and then felt the wind knocked right out of her when her attacker landed on top of her.

Canaan took advantage of Alphard's moment of surprise to reach out and intertwine her fingers with Alphard's, effectively pinning her hands down. With her full body weight on top of Alphard and her hands held down, the former Snakes leader was successfully immobilized.

Alphard looked up into Canaan's serious face and tried to suppress the urge to smile in amusement. Smiling now would piss Canaan off, and even though she looked relatively calm, Alphard could only guess how angry she really was. You know, having been knocked out and left alone and all.

"Canaan! I found you, or rather, you jumped me." Alphard's voice remained impassive, though she struggled to keep her composure. Their current position was just too funny.

"Alphard," Canaan said.

"Yes?"

"Why are you smiling?" Canaan's voice teetered on the edge of anger, but remained more confused than anything.

_Damnit_, Alphard thought. _ I lost my cool._

"Can't I smile?"

"You don't smile."

"That may have been true in the past, but I do smile now. Honest."

"Why were you looking for me?" The synesthete demanded, wondering what her enemy was planning.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Alphard decided to keep her soft side hidden for the moment and adopted the cold expression she was famous for.

"Tell me."

"No." Alphard turned her head to the side and scowled. She didn't want to admit that she had been worried, it was embarrassing and Canaan really wouldn't believe her.

Alphard's left hand was released, and when she opened her eyes to see why, she found herself staring into the barrel of Canaan's gun.

"Get your gun out of my face." Alphard said coldly, glaring at Canaan over the gun.

"Tell me what your plans are and I won't kill you. At least not yet."

"My plans? Plans for what?" Alphard tried to think of any plans she had made that would concern Canaan, but nothing more sinister than watching a movie came to mind. And Canaan had nothing to do with that.

"Your terrorist plan. Tell me what the Ua Virus is doing here!"

"The Ua Virus is here?!" Alphard's genuine surprise caused Canaan to falter. She put her gun away and just looked at Alphard for a long moment. Her red eyes were glowing in the night, as they had since the moment Canaan had tackled Alphard to the ground. "What?" The former Snakes leader asked, giving Canaan an uncertain expression.

"Your colours are different." This was said in confusion.

"Mm, they are." Alphard smiled, dropping her cold façade and giving Canaan an open expression. "Are they prettier?" She asked with a hint of playfulness.

"They're… they're beautiful…" Canaan released Alphard's other hand and sat up, feeling awestruck. The brilliant colours surrounding Alphard caused Canaan to forget her anger.

Alphard stopped smiling and then reached out and touched the side of Canaan's face. The unexpected touch, as well as its unexpected tenderness, caused Canaan to gasp in surprise.

"I'm sorry." Alphard said, caressing Canaan's cheek below the wound on her temple that had bled a considerable amount. "I gave you a nasty cut."

"Don't touch me." Canaan said half-heartedly, pulling her face away from the warm caress. "I won't forgive you."

"You don't need to."

"I.."

Suddenly Canaan's head snapped up and she jumped off of Alphard just in time to dodge a bullet. Alphard rose to her feet and watched the flash of Canaan's gun as it materialized in her hand and returned fire.

A number of men wielding automatic guns swarmed out from the cover of the trees and surrounded an uncharacteristically off guard Canaan. One of the men pounced onto her and wrapped his arm around her chest. Another man kicked the gun out of her hand and then pointed his own weapon at her head.

He pulled the trigger and the gun went off, but the bullet missed.

"What the-" The man exclaimed.

Alphard had knocked his gun to the side, and now she grabbed the weapon and smashed it into his head. She was tempted to use the gun for its original purpose but remembered the promise she had made to herself and simply used it as an object to swing around.

A man came up behind her but she quickly swung the gun around in the air and then released it. It went soaring through the air until it impacted with the man's head and knocked him unconscious.

Alphard darted around in zigzags to dodge bullets, and then came up in front of the man shooting at her and grabbed his arm. She turned and flipped him over her back, seconds later catching a punch from another man and then kicking him in the groin. He went down with tears in his eyes.

"Stop right there!" Alphard felt the nozzle of a gun press against the back of her head and froze. _Crap,_ she thought.

"You make one more move and we will kill you and the freak." The man holding Canaan said and pressed his gun harder against her head, causing her to grunt in discomfort.

Alphard looked straight into Canaan's eyes, hoping that the synesthete would get her message. When Canaan nodded the slightest in understanding, Alphard smiled. She should have known that Canaan would get it in an instant.

Simultaneously they tripped and then knocked the two men out. All around them lay unconscious men who would all probably wake with a nasty headache.

"Who are they?" Alphard asked. Canaan looked at her, remaining silent for a moment.

"They are from the Snakes. You should know that."

"Me? Why should I know that Snake soldiers are after you?"

"Because you sent them."

"Canaan, I'm not with the Snakes anymore."

Canaan paused for a moment, reading the truth of Alphard's words in her colours, but stubbornly pressing on with her accusations.

"Then why are you in South Africa?"

"I live here." Alphard sighed in exasperation. All these questions were beginning to annoy the hell out of her and for a second she regretted coming back for Canaan.

"So you conveniently move here when the Snakes are here?"

"Canaan," Alphard walked up to Canaan and placed both of her hands on the synesthete's shoulders. She looked openly into her eyes and took a breath. "I've been here for over a year. I left the Snakes. I haven't killed, stolen, or terrorized since that day on the train."

Mentioning that tragic day caused Canaan to flinch and look away.

"I can't believe that, you, Alphard, you the coldblooded killer could change."

"Canaan, it doesn't concern me whether you believe me or not. Just please, don't go shooting at me unless I actually have a weapon on me."

"You don't?" In answer Alphard nodded and lifted her arms, she did a turn to show her weapon-less status, and then turned back to Canaan.

"Feel me up if you want." The ex-terrorist said and grinned when Canaan seemed to have a very slight blush.

"Alphard, what sick game are you playing here?" Canaan regained her anger and pointed a shaking finger at a tired Alphard.

"There is no game here. You know what? I'm going home, I'm tired and thirsty and you will probably get hunted again soon. Next time deal with it on your own if you are just going to continuously deny my truth. I know you can tell I'm being honest, Canaan, you can see it in my colours. So don't give me that bullshit."

Canaan was about to snap back with an angry retort but sucked her words down when she saw Alphard turn and leave. She didn't expect her to actually leave like that.

"But…" Canaan reached out towards the retreating shadow. "I can see your truth but I want to believe my lies." She muttered softly, feeling a strange tightness in her heart. She sighed heavily to herself and continued to stare as the person she had been intertwined with for almost all of her life simply walked away from her, out of her grasp. Once again.

* * *

_Extra Note: I made a Facebook page: "Ca_x_Al Forever – Canaan Anime" for all the fans of Canaan, but more specifically Canaan and Alphard as a couple. On there I'll post updates of this story, cute photos and then I'll also post links to epic Canaan AMV's. Interested? Then search it and like the page (: thank you for reading this far, by the way._


	6. Chapter 6: Lifeboats

Author's Note: (Song by Snow Patrol)

Chapter 6: Lifeboats

* * *

"_The veins of you, the veins of me, like great forest trees. Pushing through and on and in, gliding like a satellite in the broken night. And when I wake you're there I'm saved. Your love is life piled tight and high set against the sky."_

* * *

Alphard stood frozen in the middle of her lounge, staring with wide eyes. She couldn't believe this. She didn't want to accept that this was actually happening. After everything she had just gone through, she had to go through _this_ too.

_Why? Does some cosmic power hate me or something, or do I just have the worst of luck?_

Alphard sighed long and deep, and then pinched the bridge of her nose to prevent the sudden headache that was about to overcome her. She took her dark blue coat off and draped it over the side of the couch, and then walked over to her fridge and calmly removed a can of coke.

It popped open under her fingers and released its excess gas. Alphard took a gulp and sighed as the cool liquid made its way down her throat and helped to cool her overly angered body.

"May I ask how the hell you got into my house?" Alphard asked in a frighteningly calm voice that only punctuated her anger. "Or why you're even in my house?" She was too tired to raise her voice, and considered just going to bed without even bothering with this.

Canaan stepped out from the darkness and raised her gun, pointed right at Alphard's glaring face. "I can get into any lock. Yours was simple to break into."

"So shooting it was easier than just using your ability?"

"I was in a hurry." Canaan shrugged her shoulders and watched Alphard finish the drink and then crush the can in her left hand. Without even thinking Canaan stepped forward and grabbed hold of Alphard's left fist, looking completely stunned.

"But… this… You shot your arm off. H-how?" A flash back of Alphard's blood spraying into her face as her arm tore off flashed through Canaan's mind.

"The Snakes have a lot of resources at their fingertips. I having been the leader at the time was able to utilize those resources. I spent some time in a lab re-growing my arm." Alphard explained and placed her right hand on top of Canaan's that still covered her closed fist.

"Are you going to let me release this can? It's starting to hurt…" At that Canaan quickly released her hold.

"I'm sorry." She said uncertainly because she still wasn't sure why she was apologising when she actually did intend on hurting Alphard in the end.

"Why are you here, Canaan?" Alphard's voice was soft and curious, her earlier anger obviously gone.

"The hotel I was supposed to stay in was surrounded. There's no way I can stay there and expect to live. I… don't know anyone here… So I went back to the park and… followed your colour…" Canaan looked down in embarrassment. "I didn't know where else to go."

"So you finally believe that I have nothing to do with terrorism anymore?"

Canaan looked like she couldn't decide if she did believe Alphard's innocence or not.

"Prove to me that you are free from them."

"I don't need to prove anything to you."

"If you prove it, then I won't kill you." Canaan raised her gun and pointed it at Alphard once again. Unexpectedly Alphard slapped the gun out of Canaan's hand and then grabbed hold of her wrist, pulling her closer until their faces were inches apart.

"If you want to stay in my house then you have to learn to stop pointing that gun at me." She said softly while staring into Canaan's wide eyes. "I have no obligation to help you, at all. Do not take my kindness and throw it back into my face, do you understand? You do not want to see me when I'm seriously angry." Alphard smiled in satisfaction when she heard Canaan gulp.

"O-okay."

"Good girl."

They were still only inches apart when Canaan's phone started ringing. The shaken synesthete pulled the device out and answered the phone, still looking into Alphard's greyish blue eyes.

"Canaan! I told you to report to me. I was informed that the hotel you were supposed to stay at was surrounded by Snakes men. Are you still alive?"

"Yuri." Canaan said. "Have you ever wanted to kill someone, and then realized that when you have the chance to you just can't?"

"Wha… What the hell does that have to do with anything? And no, if I want to kill someone and find a way to do it, I do it." Yuri, on her end, shook her head and wished for the millionth time that she never needed Canaan. She really didn't like the girl. "Anyway, I will organize a safe location for you to stay at."

Alphard's cool breath washed over Canaan and she swallowed hard.

"I found a place." Canaan said quickly, watching as Alphard raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? By who?"

"I'd rather keep it secret. Anyone could be listening in on this call right now."

Yuri thought for a moment. "That's fine. Report back as soon as you have any new information." The call went dead.

"Was that dear old Natsume?" Alphard asked and finally released her death grip on Canaan's wrist, freeing the agitated girl from the close proximity she had been stuck in.

"Yes."

"I can't believe you still work for that woman." Alphard took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. She regarded Canaan for a moment. "Come with me." She grabbed the blushing synesthete again and pulled her out of the lounge and into the passage.

Canaan sputtered but refrained from struggling. Provoking Alphard was not the brightest thing to do if she wanted somewhere to sleep for the night.

She was pulled into the bathroom and released after Alphard had switched the light on.

A big tub sat in the left corner of the room, with a shower beside it attached to the right corner. Beside the shower was the toilet.

Alphard opened the cabinet above the sink, which was beside the bath tub, and removed the kit she had used on herself a few hours earlier.

"Sit." Alphard commanded and pointed at the closed toilet seat. Canaan obeyed and simply sat down without a word. The former Snakes leader remained busy at the sink for the moment, noises of plastic resonating from whatever it was she was doing, and then she turned and knelt down in front of Canaan. "Hold still, okay? You're full of blood."

Alphard started wiping the blood off of Canaan's face, and then cleaned the wound she had inflicted plus a few new ones that were fresh. She sighed when she was done and stood.

"You're still as reckless as ever."

"Why are you doing this?" Canaan asked. Her hands were balled up into fists at her sides and she was shaking.

"You were like a little sister to me, back when Siam had found us." Alphard started. "Even though you did annoy the hell out of me because of all my personal issues, I had some semblance of a relationship with you. Secretly, I admired you."

Canaan looked at the floor, unable to look Alphard in the face.

"I can never atone for the things I did to you, but I can be nice. The new me is quite a cool person, if you just try and get to know me again. I don't deserve your understanding, since I know you still hate me, but it'd be nice to think that you could consider me a friend and not an enemy." Alphard's words were laced with sadness but acceptance. She had learnt to accept the fate of things, and didn't bring herself down even though it sounded as though she was doing exactly that. She really didn't deserve it, which was just a fact.

"You were a sister to me too, and I used to look up to you. But then you killed Siam." That was all she needed to say.

Alphard remained silent; feeling the uncomfortable sadness that Canaan's voice had provoked in her. She decided to end the conversation there.

"I'll show you to the spare room." Alphard offered a smile when Canaan finally met her gaze.

_Seeing her smile, is like seeing the sun turn black… You just can't believe it's true because it shouldn't be reality, _Canaan thought as she followed Alphard out of the bathroom and out into the passage. They walked to the last door on the right, and then Alphard opened it and waited for Canaan to enter.

"Feel free to shower or bath tomorrow when you wake, you can even make something to eat for yourself. I don't mind. Just don't destroy my house. I spent a lot of time and love on this place." It was both a joke and a serious warning, and Canaan nodded when she understood that.

Alphard said goodnight and then opened the door directly opposite the room Canaan was in. The door closed behind the ex-terrorist with a soft click, and then Canaan was alone with her thoughts.

There was a simple single bed to the left corner, and opposite that a cupboard. The carpet was a sea blue colour with the walls being dark wood, much like the rest of the house.

Canaan climbed into the bed and fell asleep the moment her body had relaxed.

* * *

The soft morning sun accompanied the peaceful sound of the ocean as Alphard stirred in her bed and opened her eyes. She took a moment to wake up and then climbed out of her bed.

The sound of her footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as she drowsily made her way to the bathroom and opened the door. Alphard was so out of it that she didn't even notice the sound of the running shower.

Following her normal routine, Alphard began to undress and yawned. A shower was her way of waking up properly, because she always seemed to have a problem in the mornings. She could never wake up fast enough, so she needed some type of stimulation to help her freshen up and wake up properly.

Now naked, Alphard stepped up to the shower and squinted her half closed eyes. She reached passed to shower curtain, intending on turning the shower on, when her hand came into contact with warm skin instead. This woke her up very fast.

Having suddenly lost any recollection of the previous night, Alphard slowly pulled the curtain back and wondered who was in her shower.

Canaan stood frozen under the spray of water, wide eyed and naked. Alphard's eyes widened as she took a moment to let the situation sink in.

_I just walked in on Canaan in the shower. We're both naked. My hand is on her… oh thank god it's only her arm…_

"Uh… Alphard…" Canaan said in an almost scared voice.

"Shit!" Alphard removed her hand immediately and covered her eyes, having realized that she had been staring. Luckily the steam had kept her view to a minimum, not that she had wanted to see anything anyway. "Sorry! Sorry!" Alphard stumbled back and hurried out of the shower, closing the door with a loud slam. She was breathing hard and her cheeks were burning.

"Oh geez. Why do I have to be so comatose in the morning? I just made a complete ass of myself and possibly even molested her" She slapped her forehead in annoyance and headed back to her room to change since her clothes were still in the bathroom, and she wasn't planning on walking in there again.

Her face had returned to its normal colour and soon she distracted herself by occupying the kitchen and making breakfast. She finished the food and sat down at the island counter. Her food had been half consumed when a still embarrassed Canaan stepped into the room.

"Morning." She said, looking at the floor.

"Good morn- are those my clothes?" Alphard placed her fork down onto the plate and sat up straight, looking intently at the ever blushing girl standing uncertainly by the entrance of the kitchen.

"I lost my bag when I attacked you yesterday, and I can't exactly walk around naked. I apologise for wearing your clothes."

Alphard smiled. She wasn't that much bigger than Canaan, but her clothes were the slightest bit baggy on the synesthete's muscled body. Alphard sat back in her chair and enjoyed Canaan's embarrassment. "It looks cute on you." She commented and then went back to eating. She pointed at the food on the counter in front of her, and Canaan took a seat by the food and looked at it for a moment.

"You made this?" Canaan asked.

"Indeed I did."

"I didn't know you could cook."

"In the past I never could. All I knew how to do was terrorist stuff. But living on my own has taught me the art of not poisoning myself." She chuckled lightly.

Canaan finished her food in no time because she had been really hungry, and she tried to focus more on the food than on her embarrassment and Alphard's amusement.

"Alphard?" Canaan asked.

"Mm?"

"Next time, knock before you come in, okay?"

This caused Alphard to flash back to the bathroom scene not too long ago. She smiled sheepishly and laughed. "I'll try to remember. But I get all foggy brained in the morning, so try to avoid being in the shower so early."

"Okay." Canaan sighed. She hadn't expected her South African trip to turn out like this. Not only was she now staying by Alphard's house, but she realized in alarm that she was starting to feel comfortable.

"Where are you going?"

Alphard opened the front door and turned around to face Canaan. "I'm going out to do my usual things. You can come with if you want, I don't mind. You're free to do as you please."

"Okay." Canaan said, and proceeded to follow behind Alphard with both curiosity and caution. All along the way Alphard's colours showed nothing more than amusement, and a strange red colour that Canaan couldn't really identify. The red would flash for a second or two, and then it was as if something had drained the colour away.

Meanwhile, Alphard battled to get the image of a naked Canaan out of her mind.


	7. Chapter 7: Let It Be

Author's Note: This chapter ended up completely different to the plan, but that is how my stories often develop. I really like how it turned out though, and I hope those reading this story likes it too. By the way, thank you for reading this far! *biiig hug from me* Anyway, I wrote this after procrastinating the whole day and it's now 23:01. No sleep for me T-T Enjoy! Sorry for the long note. (Song by Blackmille ft. Veela)

Chapter 7: Let It Be

* * *

"_They both see the traps. No fool, Oh oh. They won't go back. No fool, Oh oh. They've got a mind track. No fool, Oh oh. It's all a mystery. Let it come and let it be"_

* * *

Canaan had followed Alphard around for most of the day, mostly out of suspicion. She was curious to see what Alphard did with her days, and kept watch for anything out of the ordinary.

Despite her suspicion, nothing strange happened that day. Well, nothing stranger than experiencing the new mystery that was Alphard. Canaan had never felt so confused in her life.

Not only did the people of the community greet Alphard with smiles and hugs, but they seemed to actually like her. No one showed any sort of negative actions towards her or harboured any negative feelings or thoughts. Canaan would have seen it with her synesthesia, which she kept activated through the whole day.

Alphard had carried on about her day, ignoring Canaan who snuck close behind her, and focused on the tasks at hand. She went to a toy store and bought a few, well obviously, toys, and then headed to a local orphanage. Canaan had felt like she was hallucinating or that maybe her synesthesia was going crazy on her. But neither was the case and Canaan watched Alphard interact with a young boy who must have been about 5.

He had been playing with other young kids when they had approached, and upon noticing Alphard's dark figure, his face widened in excitement and he ran to a smiling Alphard.

"Auntie Al!" The boy had exclaimed and gave Alphard a big hug. She lifted him into her arms and carried him with her to the building where the kids lived. All the while Canaan refrained from banging her head against the tree she was hiding behind.

_Is this for real? Maybe I got high by accident or something, and I'm really passed out on my bed in Shanghai… this can't possibly be real._

She continued to watch Alphard interact with the rest of the kids, and the boy most attached to her who she later overheard being called Jamie, hung on Alphard's every word and action. His eyes shone with adoration at her and it was very obvious that Alphard held the same affection for him. It was so strange, to see her sitting amongst children, laughing and playing with them, instead of her shooting and killing.

That had been a whole month ago, and even though Alphard had proven through her everyday actions that she was no longer violent nor a Snake, Canaan still remained wary.

However, Canaan found herself growing more comfortable around the ex-terrorist, and soon realized in horror that she depended on her. She had nowhere to stay, no one in the country that she knew and she didn't know the language. Alphard, at least, was fluent in English and spoke it without an accent.

They had developed a routine between them. Canaan would wake first and spend her morning at the beach, just contemplating things to herself and watching the peaceful movements of the sea. Alphard would then wake up like someone hung over, shower to freshen up, and then she would make breakfast. Canaan would then join her in eating and they'd share a word or two.

Not much was said throughout the days other than the necessary.

Canaan often wondered why she was consenting to her being in Alphard's presence. She couldn't understand her own reasoning. A month ago she had tried to kill the raven haired woman, and now she lived under her roof and ate her food. Alphard never complained, she didn't even comment. She just continued on with her life and allowed Canaan the privacy she wanted.

She did try to communicate with Canaan more, but those attempts always ended up as fails. Canaan would either end up attacking her because of a misunderstanding or she would feel uncomfortable and disappear. This happened frequently until Alphard learnt to just leave the communication to Canaan. She hoped that by showing the synesthete her new life, she would accept the fact that she had changed.

"Hey Canaan." A voice called out from the open bathroom.

"Hai?" Canaan called back hesitantly, already feeling uncomfortable.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Alphard stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the living room. She had a towel around her shoulders and her hair was still wet from the shower she had just taken.

"A movie?"

"A movie can be fun." Alphard shrugged and gave Canaan a mischievous smile. Canaan narrowed her eyes.

"No." The silver eyed girl replied and turned her attention back to her disassembled gun. She ran a cloth through the crevices that needed cleaning and decided to ignore the taller woman like usual.

"Suit yourself then." Alphard rolled her eyes and then went over to the TV. She placed a disc into the DVD player and sat back on her black leather couch as the movie began to play. Canaan, sitting in the kitchen which wasn't very far from where Alphard sat, because the kitchen and lounge were just one big room separated by the island counter, turned on the stool and regarded Alphard's relaxed figure. She sighed heavily to herself.

_This is so normal it's driving me crazy. I almost miss our fights to the death with bullets flying everywhere and Alphard beating the hell out of me. Almost…_

On Alphard's side she relaxed into the couch and frowned. _She's so boring and anti-social, was I like that?_ Alphard sat forward and rested her elbow on her knee, and then her head on her hand. _I think I was… I was a real psycho then. It hasn't even been that long and it already feels like those days happened in a previous life. _

The sound of the movie starting broke Alphard from her thoughtful haze and she quickly got up to turn the light off, and then sat back down.

Canaan stared in annoyance at the half assembled gun in her hand. She couldn't see much detail and couldn't put it back together properly without the light.

"Alphard."

"Hm?"

"Put the light back on."

"I'm watching a movie. Play with your gun in your room, even though I clearly said no guns in my kitchen or lounge. Be glad I haven't thrown it away."

Canaan thought of a comeback but decided to just keep quiet and go to her room, which she grumpily did. Alphard watched her back as she walked.

As time went by and the movie continued to play, Alphard got restless and stretched her arms above her head. She yawned loudly and then turned her head to the side.

"GAH!" She yelped and jumped to the very edge of the couch, very nearly falling off. "Canaan! When did you come back and sit down?"

Canaan looked at Alphard in puzzlement for a moment. "You didn't sense my presence?" She asked.

"Well obviously not or else I wouldn't have yelled like a moron." Alphard replied.

Canaan merely blinked and then turned her attention back to the movie. "What are they doing?" She asked a moment later, tilting her head to the side.

Alphard looked from Canaan to the TV for a few moments, wondering if the synesthete was serious. "You really don't know what they're doing?"

"No." This time Canaan showed some emotion in the embarrassment in her voice. She looked down at the floor and avoided Alphard's eyes.

"Siam never did have the talk with you…" Alphard commented.

At the mention of his name, Canaan sucked in a deep breath and felt her blood boil. She could not control her actions and she didn't want to. Alphard was caught by surprise when Canaan tackled her off of the couch and sent them falling over the edge and onto the hard wood floor. They landed with a hard thud.

"Canaan!" Alphard exclaimed before trembling hands clamped down around her neck and tightened like a snake.

"You don't have the right to say his name!" Canaan shouted in oblivious fury; this angered Alphard so much that she remembered all of her training with sharp detail and changed in an instant.

In a matter of seconds Alphard went from gasping in surprise, to grabbing a hold of Canaan by the neck and tossing her to the side. The sheer strength of her grip broke Canaan's hold and sent her crashing into the couch which toppled over at the force.

Both young woman stood and faced each other, but Canaan was the first to attack again. She yelled in anger as she lunged forward with a fist. Alphard spun around and missed the punch, finding Canaan's back open and lifting her leg for a kick. It was caught in a strong hand and kept there.

Canaan forced Alphard to hop back a few steps and then she tripped her onto her back and landed on top of her, aiming for her neck again.

Alphard intercepted her hands and grabbed hold of her wrists. Using her legs she lifted Canaan and then threw her over her body.

The red eyed synesthete crashed into the door and stumbled outside into the cool ocean air. She looked up in time to catch Alphard's fist and then catch the second. The furious dark headed woman wore her famous cold expression, one she hadn't worn in a long time. She felt alive with the adrenaline running through her veins, and felt her muscles rejoice at the excursion of making fast turns, jumping and swinging punches.

They ended up wrestling down at the beach with Canaan face planted into the sand and Alphard holding her arm behind her back at an almost unnatural angle. The younger girl grunted in pain and struggled but found herself unable to remove herself from the painful position. Canaan eventually stopped struggling and just lay still under Alphard, her breathing hard and heart still pounding.

Alphard tightened her grip and leaned forward so that her lips were inches from Canaan's ear.

"Siam is dead, Canaan. You have to accept that. I killed him. Accept that too. Either hate me or not, decide already. I am not sorry for doing what I did, because I would do it again, I'm just sorry for having destroyed you in the process. Stop carrying all this pain around and learn to live. I have. Tame your anger and pain; learn to use it to your advantage instead of letting it hinder your sight and cloud your mind. A synesthete especially should know this." Her voice was calm, threatening, a whisper of what she used to be and had left behind.

She didn't have time to notice that she had nearly killed Canaan and that it had been something she would have done without being able to stop. She had been pushed too far in the past month and her heart couldn't handle the onslaught of emotions. Her soul felt raw and bleeding and her only way of coping with that had been to lash out violently.

When Canaan failed to reply, Alphard released her and then sat back and looked out over the inky blackness of the water.

Canaan sat up slowly and wiped the sand from her face. She clutched at her chest in an attempt to stop the consuming pain from setting her heart on fire.

Alphard's eyes shone grey under the moonlight as she continued to stare into the horizon, dealing with her own pain as well.

"Alphard…" Canaan whispered in an anguished voice. She turned her body towards the former terrorist, but kept her face down and covered with her luminous white hair. It covered her eyes and hid the pure sadness on her face.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you like this Canaan. I don't know what else to say or do."

"Alphard…" Canaan said again, but this time she looked up and met Alphard's eyes. Tears streamed down her face and followed burning paths down her shivering skin. The sorrow in her eyes made Alphard act out of instinct.

She moved forward and pulled Canaan into her arms. To her surprise Canaan curled into a ball on her lap, buried her face against her neck and bundled the front of the raven haired's shirt in her fists.

"I miss him Alphard, I miss Siam." Canaan began to cry in Alphard's arms.

She didn't know what to do so she did the first thing that she could think of. She wrapped her arms around Canaan and stroked her hair. She could feel the pain in her own heart building up and threatening to spill over.

"I'm sorry."

"Why did you have to do it? We were a family. You took that away. I miss him, Alphard, and I miss you."

"You miss me?"

"I've missed you all this time. I hated you for taking him away but I missed the person I knew you as. The Alphard I grew up with. You were always the one I looked up to."

"I'm sorry." This time tears fell from Alphard's eyes too. When Canaan felt tears drip onto her shoulder, it caused her to cry harder. Together the two cried out their pain and held onto each other as the only support and comfort they had.

It was so very ironic, how the one who had caused the pain, now comforted the one she had inflicted it on. And it was even more ironic how the one who had been hurt, clung desperately to the one who had hurt her all those years ago.

It was sad, how they were the only two who could comfort the other.


	8. Chapter 8: Same Goes For You

Author's Note: (Song by Prime Circle)

Chapter 8: Same Goes For You

* * *

"_I search in corners search in rooms; I search to find myself some answers. To see these questions through. Relearn what I knew. Never mind this walk of shame, never mind it's all been done. And I'm not really that bad"_

* * *

A gentle breeze blew in from an open window, bringing with it the tangy scent of salt and moisture. Sunlight poured in following the air, and bathed the room in a gentle golden light. In the distance an echo of the crashing waves could be heard.

A figure stirred in her sleep as silver eyes opened to take in their surroundings, but narrowed in confusion. The ceiling looked different from what she was used to, and when she took notice, the bed she was in felt different too. It took her longer to realize that the heat she was engulfed in had nothing to do with the blanket, but instead emanated from the body curled around her own. Canaan took a long, deep breath and concentrated.

She was lying on her back with Alphard covering the whole right side of her body. Alphard's head was resting on her shoulder, and her arm was wrapped around the synesthete's chest. This position was quite interesting.

Another breeze wafted through the air and washed around the room. The scent of salty water caused Canaan to flash back to the night before. She remembered how she had snapped after Alphard's comment, how they had ended up at the beach and… her face heated up with embarrassment.

_I cried last night… She… we cried together. All I remember is feeling so safe in her arms, and then getting really tired… I must've fallen asleep in her lap._ Canaan could only remember up to her crying herself to sleep in Alphard's arms.

And now she was in her bed. How the hell had that happened?

Canaan extracted herself from Alphard's hold and left her room. She made her way to the bathroom where she made sure to lock the door, and then turned the shower on. She undressed and climbed in as soon as the water had heated enough.

_Alphard…_ Canaan thought back to the previous night again. She had never seen Alphard cry before, not even before she had killed Siam. The ex-terrorist had always been unemotional and cold. But now… now she actually seemed human.

_Can I accept her now, after going through last night with her? Or do I still hate her…?_ Canaan contemplated that as she washed the salt and sadness from her body. Before she could come to a conclusion a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Canaan?" Alphard called from behind the door. "I really need to use the bathroom!" She said desperately. Canaan almost smiled at the sound of Alphard's obvious distress. She shut the shower off and climbed out of the shower. With a towel wrapped around her body, and her used clothes in hand, Canaan unlocked and opened the door to reveal an unsteady looking Alphard who was half asleep against the doorsill. "Sorry to-…" Alphard started but trailed off when she noticed Canaan's state of undress.

Canaan blushed and quickly walked away. Behind her Alphard's amused chuckle echoed in the passage.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly for the duo. Surprisingly for the former Snakes leader, Canaan had started talking to her. They engaged in actual conversations and shared many new and old personal things. Canaan had finally decided to give Alphard a chance and to really get to know her. This gave Alphard a glimmer of hope.

They had spent the time watching movies while talking in between, conversing over meals and sitting together on the beach, talking.

It had never occurred to Canaan that without the hatred, murder and terrorism, Alphard was actually really funny and intelligent. Well the intelligence part had always been obvious when they were growing up, but now she seemed smart in a good way, and not in a deceiving, manipulating way.

"Alphard?" Canaan asked hesitantly, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Yes?" Alphard tied the shoelaces of her boots and straightened up.

"When we get back... c-could…"

"Could?"

"Could we maybe watch… a movie?" Canaan released a long string of air at finally asking the question. She chewed on her lip nervously, feeling uncomfortable but happy at making the request.

"So that's what you were mulling over the whole morning? I was worrying that I did something wrong again." Alphard chuckled and shook her head. "All that stress for a movie. And sure, we can watch a movie."

Canaan sighed in relief. She really wasn't used to doing normal things like watching a movie, especially not with her enemy. She still hadn't decided if she was able to let her grudge against Alphard go or not, but she knew for a fact that she was slowly growing to like the new and improved Alphard from her childhood.

"Let's get going then! We need food to eat, after all." Alphard opened the door and courteously waited for Canaan to exist first. She closed and locked the door after stepping out too.

They stepped down the stairs and headed to the left side of the house that led to a path into town.

After a long, awkward silence they left the wild environment for buildings and concrete. Canaan realized that she had really gotten used to staying out in the middle of nature, and so it felt strange for her to return to civilization. She also realized that she left her gun in the drawer of her room, which was something she never did. That gun used to sleep beside her.

_When did I become so… tame?_

That question caused a frown to form on the white haired synesthete's face. Could she really be tamed? Canaan pouted.

"Are you pouting?" Alphard had stopped walking and now regarded Canaan with an amused grin. She raised an eyebrow and waited for a response, which came in the form of a blush and downcast eyes. "Canaan can pout. It should start raining dogs soon…" Alphard looked up at the sky in a dramatic manner that punctuated her joke. This made Canaan smile.

"Go and buy food before I end up attacking you." Canaan countered with a joke of her own, and smiled innocently when Alphard gave her a surprised look.

"Hmmmm." Alphard mumbled to herself and entered the shop, obviously deep in thought.

Canaan watched her for a few seconds, and then felt the sensation of eyes on her back. When she turned she felt her heart jump in surprise.

Yuri sat at a table by a Café beside the shop Alphard had just entered. Canaan was hoping Yuri hadn't seen the ex-terrorist, but doubted she had by the look of calm authority on the older woman's face. She raised a hand and beckoned to Canaan, who headed over to her and sat in the opposite chair.

"Yuri."

"Canaan." Yuri said. She remained silent for a moment and then smiled a cold smiled. One that showed she was quite upset. Canaan gulped. "Have you managed to take the Snake team out? Or gathered any information? What did Yukino have to say?" Yuri leaned forward with her elbow on the table, and waited.

"No, yes, and he had some useful information. The Ua Virus is here and they plan to use it."

"For what?"

"He didn't know."

"This is bad, this is really bad. I hope you have more information for me Canaan. Remember that I am paying you."

Canaan nodded. She swallowed hard and tried not to think of the fact that she had completely forgotten about her reason for being here. Her mind had been full of Alphard. That thought caused her to suddenly sit straight and blush, thought this went unnoticed by Yuri who was lost in her own train of thought.

"Canaan, I have a side job for you. I'll pay you extra for it, of course."

Canaan turned her attention back to Yuri and waited.

"I have information that suggests Alphard is actually here in South Africa." Yuri began, oblivious to Canaan's racing heart. "I even have a picture that proves it."

A picture slid across the table at Canaan, who stopped it with her hand and looked at it. In the picture Alphard was fighting with someone. The synesthete recognized the photo from the time Alphard had come back for her and ended up fighting almost all of the Snake men that had come after her. The shot barely hid Canaan, as she was being held hostage off to the far right corner concealed in darkness. She hoped no one had noticed her presence in the photograph.

Alphard waved back to the friendly cashier she had been talking to as she opened the door with her shoulder and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She looked around for Canaan and spotted her, but as she was about to call out to her she noticed who Canaan was sitting with.

_Shit,_ Alphard thought as she ducked and hid by the side of the building. She peeked around the corner at the two and strained her ears to hear the conversation.

"As you can see, this was taken over a month ago. It means she must be here. Your objective will be to locate and execute her. I don't care how you do it, but I want her head. Do you accept the job?"

Canaan sat still for a moment, her eyes fixed on the picture in front of her. She kept all emotion out of her voice when she spoke next.

"I accept. You'll have her head."

Yuri nodded in satisfaction. "Right, I have other things to attend to. Do your job well and you'll get the rest of your payment." Yuri placed a brown envelope on the table, got up, and left.

Canaan reached out and wrapped her hand around the envelope. She slowly slid it closer to her and then slipped it into her pocket.

Meanwhile Alphard felt her throat tighten,

_Canaan still wants to kill me? I thought she was finally letting that go…_ she didn't want to admit how hurt she felt at Canaan accepting the job. Alphard considered asking her about it, but decided to just keep it to herself and stay on high alert.

She pushed herself away from the wall and headed over to Canaan, holding a hand out for her to take.

"Ready?"

Canaan looked from Alphard's face to her hand, nodded, and then took hold of her hand.


	9. Chapter 9: The Diary of Jane

Author's Note: (Song by Breaking Benjamin)

Chapter 9: The Diary of Jane

* * *

"_Try to find out what makes you tick as I lie down sore and sick. Do you like that, do you like that? There's a fine line between love and hate, and I don't mind. Just let me say that I like that, I like that."_

* * *

Footsteps sounded in between the gentle sounds of birds fluttering and chirping. The sun, now higher in the sky, shone down and turned the above leaves a radiant shining green.

Alphard glanced up at the cluster of leaves hiding the sky from her view and let a troubled breath escape her lips. They were still walking back to her house after shopping for food with Canaan walking in the lead and the brooding ex-terrorist slowly falling behind.

She thought back to the conversation she had overheard, and wondered what Yuri had been doing there.

_How did she know to find Canaan there? That woman is like a ninja. Did she see me? Well, probably not since I'm still alive. For now…_

Her thoughts trailed off and she looked forward and fixed her gaze on Canaan's back. Her muscles shifted underneath the tight red shirt she wore. The scarlet contrasting with Canaan's snow white hair caused Alphard to feel nostalgic. Most of the memories flipping through her mind were of her and Canaan fighting, guns in their hands.

She shifted her gaze to Canaan's arm and sighed again. That tattoo…

"Alphard?" Canaan stopped walking and turned around. Alphard paused too.

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?" The synesthete asked in hesitant concern.

"Nothing is wrong." Alphard replied with a grin.

"Okay." Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Canaan turned and started walking again.

The moment she had turned Alphard's smile dropped and she returned to her thoughtful, perhaps even depressed expression.

_She wants to kill me… Well, she's wanted to for a long time… but after that night, I assumed she had gotten over it. Why is she going back to that now? I may have just started liking her._

Alphard titled her head in contemplation.

_Maybe liking her a bit too much…_

She suddenly recalled their embarrassing encounter in her bathroom the first morning of Canaan's stay. It had been terrible.

Though ever since then Alphard had gained a new awareness of the younger girl. In the beginning it hadn't turned into anything at all, but after their joint break down on the beach and then communication thereafter, Alphard had started taking extra note of everything Canaan did.

She didn't want to admit that she was more intrigued than normal, and especially not that it was Canaan who triggered her interest.

Getting to know the synesthete again was something she had greatly enjoyed, but now she feared that their extremely fragile relationship was about to shatter.

Alphard pouted. _This shouldn't upset me…_

"Why are you pouting?"

Alphard snapped her head up and saw that Canaan was walking halfway backwards, regarding her with a questioning look.

"I'm not." Alphard straightened her walk and secured a serious look on her face, trying to shake the negative feelings from her mind as well as the uncomfortable hurt from her heart.

Canaan didn't reply, instead she glanced above Alphard's head, appearing as though she was reading something interesting, and then she turned back around and continued walking at a calm pace.

_Canaan just read me, didn't she?_

The former Snake leader felt herself grow cold. She allowed the numbness to fill her inside and any emotion drained from her face. Being emotionless was something she was good at, especially when she found she couldn't handle an emotion she was struggling with.

As they walked they remained silent. Canaan never turned around again and Alphard just watched her back. Eventually the trees ended and they stepped out onto warm sand and silently they entered the beach house.

Alphard set about removing the ingredients they had bought and the appropriate things to cook them with and started work on making their breakfast. The aim was two omelettes filled with a mixture of whatever they wanted on the inside.

The white haired girl sat down by the centre island and just simply watched her taller companion move around in the kitchen. She thought back to when they had been walking back.

_She's hurt… but why? Did I do something?_ Canaan placed her arms atop the table and rested her head on them, still keeping her eyes on the dark headed former terrorist. When Alphard had avoided her question she decided to find out for herself with her synesthesia. The colours she had seen were that of hurt and deep thoughtfulness. Something was bothering her older companion and she wanted to find out what it was. If she had done something wrong, she wanted to fix it.

Canaan had really meant it when she had said she wanted to get to know the new Alphard and give her a chance. _But Yuri wants me to kill her…_

She looked away and lost herself in her thoughts until a plate of food placed in front of her broke her out of her thoughts.

They sat in continuous silence and ate, Canaan too nervous to start a conversation and Alphard feeling too moody to socialize. This carried on for most of the day until light turned to dark and the sun had long since descended.

The beach had gained a solitary visitor that sat in brooding loneliness and watched the never-ending body of water. Alphard sat there for most of the night and into the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep.

Canaan only grew more and more concerned as the days went by and Alphard's behaviour changed. Instead of being open and charming as she normally would be, she was cold and untouchable. She hardly slept and spent most of her time sitting on the beach by herself. Canaan had tried to sit down there with her but with one look and the colours told her she wasn't welcome. It scared her, because she realized that she was scared of losing Alphard again.

She had always been scared, even before the day on the train. Even though she had been ready and willing to end Alphard's life, she had feared losing her. The determination to kill her had been a mask to cover up her true feelings. After losing Siam, she couldn't bear the thought of losing Alphard too.

Similarly, Alphard began to realize that she really enjoyed having Canaan back in her life. As annoying and heart wrenching the first month had been, after getting over their initial issues, they really started getting closer.

Each time she would see Canaan, she would watch and wait. For the inevitable. For what was bound to happen. This time she would embrace death and let it claim her. Her mind told her it was the right thing to do to make up for all she had done, but her heart wanted to live. It wanted to get closer to Canaan and feel the vibrant beat of life. For once, Alphard didn't want to die. She didn't want to have to fight Canaan either, so if the time came, she would make sure that she fell by the synesthete's hand, as much as the thought pained her.

She was no longer selfish or self-absorbed, and really had grown to care for the white haired girl. She cared for someone other than herself, something that would never have happened in the past.

Four days had passed since the moment her hurt had begun, and once again she sat by the beach in the darkness. It was soothing and calm and it almost felt as if the dark was caressing her aching heart and removing the pain. But of course, reality was ever present, and always decided to make itself known whenever it could.

"Alphard?" The familiar voice caused Alphard's heart to clench. She remained quiet and looked up at the moon. "Alphard!" Canaan called again. Only the waves answered her call.

A breeze blew against Alphard's face, sending her dark hair fluttering about her face. She ignored the irritation and continued to ignore everything else as Canaan took a seat beside her.

"Canaan." Alphard suddenly whispered, finding her voice void of emotion. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

The statement left Canaan speechless. She did not know how to respond or why the question was even asked.

"Alphard…"

"We shouldn't be doing this. Acting like everything is just fine and wonderful, when we share such a tragic past." Alphard's voice sounded as empty as she felt.

"Don't say that."

"I'm a monster. Someone who wanted to crush you in the palm of my hand and watch you suffer. How can you look at my face and honestly say you don't want to shoot me?" This time Alphard turned her eyes to Canaan's silver ones, and Canaan gasped.

This was exactly like the time on the train. Alphard wore the same expression as the one before she had shot her own arm off. Her eyes held the same amount of deep sorrow.

The ex-terrorist stood and attempted to walk away, but was stopped by arms wrapping around her chest from behind. She felt warm breath on her neck and her jaw clenched. At the same time her heart began to thump unevenly against her ribcage.

"Don't say such depressing things." Canaan said fiercely, her voice soft yet stern. "You did horrible things, but that's in the past now. I accept that. I accept Siam's death and your part in it. Hating you isn't possible for me anymore Alphard."

Alphard tried to escape the embrace but felt the strong arms tighten around her.

"I don't want to lose you again. That day on the train… it made me realize that in an odd way, I needed you. I was so lost without you, and now that we're together again, we have a chance to forget and get over the past. We can never move on if we don't leave it all behind us."

"Canaan."

"So please, don't go back to being the broken, angry Alphard who shot her own arm off. Be the charming, beautiful, funny person you are now. Be the person I've gotten to know and come to like!" Canaan's own heart was racing with the force of her emotions and she struggled to keep her breathing even.

"Why are you so kind?"

"I'm not kind; I'm just not blind anymore. You mean a lot to me now, and I won't let you go again."

"Our lives have been intertwined for so long." Alphard closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Come back Alphard, be you again. Be the real you."

Alphard turned around in Canaan's arms and wrapped her own ones around the younger girl, holding her tight, and then she placed a small kiss against Canaan's forehead.

They remained like that for a while, not saying or doing anything, merely listening to the other's heartbeat that beat in synch to the sound of the waves.

"Now isn't this just a touching scene?" Their peace was shattered in a matter of seconds when the unwanted voice broke through their silence.

Canaan jerked back in surprise and turned to Yuri who held a gun in her hand pointed directly at Canaan's head.

"Now why are you sharing a romantic moment with the person you were intent on killing?" She asked the shaking synesthete. Canaan clenched her fists and took a deep breath, frantically thinking of a way to get out of this alive.

Yuri glared with stone cold eyes, aimed her gun more accurately and then fire. The bullet shot out through the nozzle of the gun and soared through the air towards its target. Canaan stood frozen, watching in shock as the bullet headed straight for the centre of her forehead, but before it could kill her a flash of black obscured her view and she was sent flying to the ground.

Alphard pushed Canaan out of the way and placed herself in front of the bullet instead. But she wasn't planning on dying anytime soon. The bullet had just grazed the side of her cheek. It stung and started dripping blood, but she was alive.

"What the hell? Now Alphard is saving you! Have I jumped into an alternate universe? Aren't you two mortal enemies, bent on destroying each other's lives? What happened to revenge and all that nonsense you obsessed over, Canaan?" Yuri voiced in confusion, exasperation and out right fury. She did not like being played with.

"We made up," was all Canaan said as she stood and brushed the sand off of her clothes.

"A traitor and a terrorist. I'm killing two birds with one stone, ha! I no longer have any use for you, so I might as well just kill you both and get it over w-"

"No." Alphard exclaimed fiercely, glaring directly into Yuri's eyes. "It's my head you want. Do not kill Canaan, take me instead."

"Alphard, no!"

"Well, well, haven't you turned into a noble one? Nevertheless, I'll accept your offer, on one condition."

"That being?"

"Canaan has to kill you. If she does, then I will let your earlier make out session slide and I'll let her live."

Alphard felt her face flush in embarrassment. _Making out with Canaan… we hadn't… and wouldn't… but, did it look like it?_ She shook her head to clear her mind of the distracting mental image she was seeing.

"Okay. I accept. Do you promise that if she shoots me, you'll let her live?"

Canaan stepped forward and grabbed hold of Alphard's arm, giving her a pained expression.

"Alphard, no, I can't shoot you."

"You have to Canaan. I can't let you die."

"But…"

"Alright then! Canaan, do it." Yuri held the gun out towards Canaan and waited for her to take it. Red eyes took in the image of the gun and looked up into a cloud of blue. Yuri was filled with so much hate. "Do it!" She demanded.

"Just do it, it'll be okay. This way I can atone. Please, Canaan."

Canaan released Alphard and stepped forward. She reached out with a trembling hand and wrapped it around the gun, lifting it up and feeling the weight of it in her hand. It was then that she remembered that she hadn't used her gun in a long time.

"I'm waiting." Yuri insisted, and then smiled smugly when Alphard submissively got down onto her knees and Canaan pointed the gun at her head. Finally she would get to see the infamous Snake leader fall, and then she would be sure to kill Canaan right after. Traitors were not tolerated no matter what, and she truly despised the freak.

"A-Alphard…" Canaan felt tears spill over and run down her face. Her eyes were glowing deep read and she watched Alphard's colours with sadness. It was a mixture of pain, fear and anger.

_How the hell had things turned out this way? 2 months ago I would have pulled the trigger already, but now I can't even bring myself to do it._

She closed her eyes and shook her head. What was the point of doing this to survive if it would only end up killing her anyway?

"Canaan." The soothing voice made her snap her head up and regard Alphard with surprise. Her colours had completely changed. Now they… were deep red with a mixture of colours interweaved everywhere. Canaan realized it in an instant; it was the colour of love. She understood.

"No." Her shaking and tears had stopped, and now Canaan was her confident, lethal self once more. She turned the gun on Yuri and tightened her hand around the gun. "No." She said again and pulled the trigger. The gun went off and the bullet hit Yuri in her upper arm. She cried out in pain and fell backwards onto the cool sand.

"Canaan!" Alphard jumped up and grabbed the gun just as it went off again, causing the bullet to miss the fatal blow and instead imbed itself in the sand.

"I won't kill Alphard. Leave now before I kill you. Be thankful Alphard was here or you would be dead." Canaan looked down at Yuri with a dangerous glint in her eyes. The frightened and injured woman scrambled to her feet and turned to Canaan before she made a move to leave.

"I hope you know what sparing my life means. This is not over." She clamped a hand around the bleeding wound and stumbled off into the darkness of nature.

_No, _Canaan tossed the gun as hard as she could and watched it soar through the sky and land in the water. _I have no doubt that this isn't over by a long shot._


	10. Chapter 10: Undisclosed Desires

Author's Note: Welcome to the next chapter! I have a few things to mention here before you can continue with the story, so bear with me. I'm introducing a new character of my own creation. She might become a supporting character, or she might just appear in this one chapter. It depends on how much she charms me. Another thing I should mention is the names, which I order in the Japanese way. Meaning the last name is first, and the first name follows. Just so that you don't get confused. The last thing to mention is that if you have followed the story to this point, then you might know about the Facebook page I created dedicated to Canaan and Alphard, which is where I will be posting pictures of this story. An awesome friend of mine has agreed to work with me, and is drawing one scene out of each chapter for me. How awesome is that! She will be known as KuraYami, *worships KuraYami-sama*. Her drawings are really good. The drawing for the first chapter is done, and once I have a scanned copy then I will post it. I'll let everyone know when it is posted, so that you can check it out if you so desire. Now, please enjoy the story! And let me know if there is anything I am doing wrong or need to improve to give Ca_Al fans the best story possible. Warning: Tad bit of bad language and suggestive themes, expect a few crass words. End of the ridiculously long note* (Song by Muse)

Chapter 10: Undisclosed Desires

* * *

"_I want to reconcile the violence in your heart. I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask. I want to exercise the demons from your past. I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart."_

* * *

"Canaan…"

The sound of the ocean washed over the two silent figures sitting on the beach. Casting a brilliant light, the moon sat full in the dark sky and all around little sparkling dots could be seen as more stars shone bright enough for the eye to see.

"Did you really think that I would kill you?"

"I overheard Yuri ordering you to kill me, and you accepted, so yes."

"It would have looked suspicious if I had refused… after all, I had obsessed over you for 2 years and Yuri knew that better than anybody."

Alphard studied Canaan's face. Her reason was very logical, and the ex-terrorist realized that. _If she had suddenly just refused to do it, then that woman would have known something was up… but why did this affect me so much that I didn't think about this logically? I'm getting way too emotional._

"I… guess…"

"Is this why you acted so strange?" Canaan turned her eyes from the starry horizon to look into darkened blue orbs.

Alphard sighed, she didn't want to admit it. "You could say that."

"You were that worried that I'd kill you?"

"It wasn't really about me being killed… it was more about the fact that I thought we had gotten over the whole hatred and killing thing."

"We did, didn't we? I can't kill you now, no matter what."

They stared for a moment longer, Canaan's glowing red eyes clearly visible in the night and reflecting back to her in Alphard's.

"Why not?" Alphard asked softly.

"You aren't an enemy anymore. I see you as a person now, a human with feelings and a conscience. I could possibly even consider you a… friend."

Alphard looked away with a smile. "I would like us to be friends. Besides, I've gotten so used to having you around. It would be lonely without you." She felt her cheeks warm with a slight blush, and her chest felt equally as hot. She wasn't used to being so… emotional and honest, especially not with Canaan. "I always thought that one of us would die at the other's hand, that it was our fate to fight to the death."

"Maybe we were both wrong, and that was never our fate to begin with."

"You think so?"

Canaan nodded.

"Being with you again makes me realize how important you really were to me, even during our battles to the death. Maybe you just have to lose something to gain something even better."

Alphard looked at Canaan in surprise at the deep and wise words the synesthete was saying. _She sure has grown a lot these past 2 years; she's possibly even more mature now. _

"Let's go inside, it's getting cold."

Canaan and Alphard got up and headed back to the darkened beach house. They climbed the few steps and entered through the front door and into the dark lounge. As soon as Alphard had switched the light on, her cellphone rang. It was sitting on the island counter, so the raven haired woman quickly retrieved it and answered the call.

"Oi, Al! It's about damn time you answered your phone. Do you know that I have called like a million times already? I was about ready to leave and go and strangle you myself!" The familiarly husky voice assaulted Alphard's ear before she could even say a word.

"Sorry, I've had stuff going on and I was a tad bit busy." Alphard smiled wickedly and faked an innocent voce.

"Busy my ass! You've turned into a real hermit this past month. I haven't seen you or heard from you at all. Where the hell have you been Alphard?" The voice sounded playfully angry, but concerned in the background.

"I told you, I've been busy."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, the real reason for my call is to see if your ass is still alive. So, are you alive?!"

"Idiot, if I was dead then I wouldn't be able to talk to you right now!" Alphard threw her arm up in exasperation and resisted the urge to face-desk herself.

"Who are you calling an idiot?!" The voice replied in mock hurt. "But seriously Al, are you alright? I heard a gunshot and it sounded from your end, you haven't gone back to your old ways, have you?" Now the voice sounded genuinely concerned and all manner of joking was gone.

"Someone is staying by me right now, and she tends to bring trouble with her. We both got out alive, though trouble will most probably find us again soon. But don't worry you secret mush ball, I can handle myself."

"She? You have a lady friend? Who is this person and why the hell is she involving you in her shit?"

"Problem is that it's kind of my shit too."

Alphard and the unknown caller continued their mock argument and friendly insults, all the while causing Canaan to smile. She watched in fascination as Alphard smiled mischievously all through the call until she bid her goodbyes and finally ended the call.

"Canaan!" Alphard turned to her with a wicked glint in her eyes. "I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine tomorrow."

"A friend?"

"Yes, I can make friends these days." The former Snakes leader rolled her eyes at Canaan's look of disbelief. "Now get some rest, because we're going to be out all night tomorrow."

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"Now that, you will have to find out tomorrow." Alphard winked and then smiled wickedly. Canaan gulped.

"Come on, tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

They continued to argue back and forth for the next few minutes until Canaan sighed and gave up. She simply said goodnight and headed to her room, while Alphard did the same. While lying in her bed, Alphard couldn't help but smile in amusement at the impending disaster the next night would be. No doubt she would enjoy herself.

* * *

A shadow danced along the grey ceiling, moving silently across the room. The sleeping figure didn't notice anything in the deep throes of sleep, not until the intruder attacked.

Alphard woke the instant she felt cold hands wrap around her neck and steal her breath. Her eyes snapped open and widened at the sight of Canaan on top of her.

"Canaan?" She gasped out and tried to pry the hands lose, but the grip was so tight that they wouldn't even budge.

"Do you hate me?" The synesthete asked, staring down into panicked and confused eyes.

"Of course not! G-get off of me. Why are you doing this again?"

"Do you love me?"

The question caused Alphard to stop struggling and merely stare up at Canaan in shock. "W-what?" She asked uncertainly and felt her heart pick up speed.

"I said…" Canaan leaned forward, bringing her face down closer to the shocked ex-terrorist's. "… do you…" They were inches apart now, their lips almost touching. Alphard felt her pulse jump and swallowed hard, unable to comprehend what was happening. She felt too dazed to do anything other than lay there and stare in shock. "… love me?" And then their lips touched and Alphard's heart nearly stopped.

She responded to the kiss a second after she had gotten over the initial shock, and felt her entire body heat up. Canaan's lips were so soft, and now the synesthete had stolen her breath once more, but this time in a much more pleasant way.

"ALPHARD!"

Alphard shot up in bed, panting and sweating hard. She immediately pressed her hand over her racing heart and then looked around her room in confusion.

"Finally!" The voice that had woken her reached her ears again and her pulse jumped once more. Canaan stood by her bedside with her arms crossed over her chest and an exasperated look on her face. "I've been trying to wake you for 20 minutes."

"What?" Alphard merely looked at her in confusion, the image of Canaan on top of her still fresh in her mind. "Why did you come into my room last night?"

"What? I didn't come into your room. What are you going on about? It's already 2PM and I'm hungry. Please get up now?" Canaan gave her a pleading look.

Alphard stared at her for a second more and then just simply nodded.

"Yay!" Canaan smiled happily and then left the room to do whatever it was she did with her time.

"It was a dream?" The former terrorist fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, coming to the conclusion that Canaan sneaking into her room, attacking her and then kissing her, was only a dream. A really strange dream.

_Why did I even have that dream?_

She thought about it for a bit longer, and then decided that it would just give her a headache, so she got up and headed to the shower to freshen up. After fully waking up and refreshing herself, Alphard entered the kitchen and set about to make lunch for them. She still couldn't get that dream out of her head.

"Need any help?" Canaan stood beside Alphard and looked at her expectantly.

"No, no, I'm all good. Just take a seat." The proximity of their bodies was too much for the busy cook and she found it difficult to look into Canaan's eyes. Eventually the food was done and they sat side by side while they ate.

Canaan's knee absently brushed against Alphard's, causing her to sit up straight in an instant. Her companion didn't seem to notice, so Alphard just carried on eating and hoped that she would be able to act normally around her house mate before she noticed that she was acting strangely.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in awkward silence. Alphard couldn't let the dream go, so she avoided Canaan and acted completely strange. This worried Canaan as much as Alphard's previous odd behaviour had.

By the time 8PM rolled by, both were emotionally exhausted.

"It's about time to take you to that friend of mine." Alphard stated as she stood and slipped her black coat on. She wore simple black jeans, comfortable boots and a black t-shirt with the coat.

"Let's go." Canaan, clad in a long red shirt with the sleeves pushed up her muscled arms to her elbows, black sneakers and white shorts, offered her older companion a smile.

Alphard swallowed hard and then just headed out of the door, closing and locking it once Canaan had followed.

They walked down the beach in silence. Not a word had been said through the whole trip, but Canaan had finally used her synesthesia so see what the problem was. What she saw she didn't quite understand, though she had a vague understanding. Alphard's colour was mixed with confusion, doubt and denial. But every once in a while a strong colour would spark and consume the other colours into invisibility. It was the colour Canaan had seen the night before. The colour of love.

_Is Alphard in love with someone?_ The white haired girl asked herself and tried to think of anyone it could be. No one they had interacted with in the past month had made Alphard react like this. _Oh! _

Canaan suddenly realized something, and looked to Alphard with wide eyes. She had an idea of who it could be that was causing Alphard to act so weirdly and have such odd colours. _Could it really be?_ Alphard's colours sparked again, and Canaan nodded. _Has to be._

"We're here." Alphard pointed at a house not too far in the distance.

Canaan quickly put her synesthesia off before Alphard could see her eyes. She didn't want the raven haired woman to know that she had cheated and read her with her ability.

The house they were walking towards looked incredibly expensive. It seemed to be made mostly out of metal and glass. The front door was silver under the outside light, and the walls beside it were glass. Reaching all around the house, you could see into the lounge, and behind the lounge was a steel staircase easily visible from outside.

Alphard walked up to the door and knocked. They waited but no one came. Alphard knocked again and called out to her friend. "Raiden?!" There was still no response.

"Is there anyone home?"

"Raiden hardly leaves the house unless it's needed, so I doubt the place is empty." The door was unlocked when Alphard tried the handle, so she simply beckoned for Canaan to follow her and stepped into the house.

The door behind them closed and they were bathed in shallow light. All along the passage wall just above the floor were multiple dim lights illuminating the ground. They followed the lights down the passage to double doors that opened silently when Alphard pushed them forward.

They stepped out of the hallway and into the living room that was much like Alphard's, though it was much bigger and a lot more extravagant than Alphard's modest place.

The carpet was a lovely silver shade throughout the whole room, aside from the kitchen. To their left a multitude of counters and kitchen equipment sat atop shimmering black tile. The counter tops were made of the same shade of black stone, and the fridge was double the size of Alphard's, and was also made of steel.

In front of them stood a glass dining table with blue glass along the edges that could seat 20 if need be, and to their right sat the lounge. The lounge area itself dipped down by 20 inches, and the interior contained comfortable looking leather couches. These couches were cream coloured and looked very expensive. Mounted to the wall sat a very large plasma television, as well as surround sound speakers placed strategically around the lounge.

The walls were a lovely grey colour, and the whole room looked overwhelming.

To the far left was the staircase Canaan had seen when they approached the house. It twirled around and upwards into the high ceiling.

"Wow."

"I know." Alphard rolled her eyes but smiled, obviously thinking that the house was just too much. "This way." She turned right and passed the lounge, heading for the open double sliding doors to the left of the lounge.

"Raiden!" She called out after they had stepped into the cool night air.

This seemed to be the back yard, as it had a very large pool shimmering and glowing blue in the night. Beside the pool were multiple beach chairs with the one closest to the right corner covered in a towel and clothes.

Alphard stepped up to the edge of the pool and put her hands on her hips. There was a splash, and then a tall, muscled figure immerged from the water and stepped out of the pool by the pool stairs.

Water slid down the figures golden skin and created a puddled under tanned feet.

"Raiden, we knocked." Alphard regarded her friend with a frown.

Raiden bent her head down and then shook her head in much the same way a wet dog would, though she made the action look painfully attractive. Water sprayed everywhere and hit Alphard the most, which made her yelp in surprise.

"Yo, Al! I see you finally made it." Raiden straightened and gave Alphard a devilish grin. She noticed Canaan, who was relieved to find that Raiden spoke fluent Japanese, standing off to the side and fixed her vibrant golden eyes on the synesthete. "That your lady trouble?" She put a hand on Alphard's shoulder and nodded towards Canaan who watched with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

"That's Canaan."

"Wait a damn second." Raiden's eyes grew wide and she looked from Alphard to Canaan in shock. "That's Canaan?!" She exclaimed. "You're Canaan?" This she directed at the now very confused synesthete.

"Yes, I'm Canaan."

Raiden just stared.

"Hey, introduce yourself." The ex-terrorist poked her friend's bare ribs.

"Right. Right!" She jumped forward. "I'm Shizuku Raiden." She bowed to Canaan and gave her a smile.

"Shizuku-sama." Canaan said, trying the name out, and bowed too.

"Please just call me Raiden," she took Canaan's hand and raised it to her lips. "Or just Rai if you so desire." She winked suggestively and then placed a feather light kiss on the back of Canaan's hand. Raiden just oozed confident charm and sensuality.

"Alright, stop trying to seduce her." Raiden was pulled away from Canaan by Alphard who had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

"Hey!" The confident beauty complained and caught Alphard in a headlock. "I'm older than you, taller than you, and stronger than you. Don't challenge me!" She chuckled sadistically and laughed as Alphard struggle.

"Damnit! Let me go Rai, I've told you to stop doing this!"

Feeling especially nice that night, Raiden decided to let her go and headed to her towel. She wore a gorgeous golden two piece bikini that was soon covered by a large, fluffy, white towel.

The newly released victim glared threateningly at her friend and received an outpointed tongue.

"Um, to be honest, I think Alphard is stronger than you, even though you are taller…" The comment caused both dark beauties to pause in their glaring contest and cast Canaan surprised looks. Raiden out of disbelief that someone thought she'd lose, and Alphard out of shock that Canaan considered her stronger and basically just complimented her.

"Um…" Alphard locked eyes with Canaan but then looked away just as fast. She still hadn't forgotten about that dream.

"One day we'll see who's stronger, but for the meantime let's have a braai!"

20 minutes later found Alphard, Canaan and Raiden sitting around a beautiful fire on the beach. They sat atop fallen logs and sipped on drinks while they chatted.

"Al," Raiden whispered and beckoned Alphard over to her side of the fire. The former Snakes leader scooted closer until she was right beside her friend.

"Yes?"

"Is she good in bed?"

Alphard started choking on the sip of coke she had just taken. She sputtered and winced as Raiden's big hand pounded her on the back, until finally she regained her breath and let out one last cough.

"What the hell was that?!" Alphard whispered fiercely and stole a glance at Canaan. The synesthete sat quietly on the opposite side of the fire, looking into the bright flames in deep thought.

"Wait… you're not sleeping with her?"

"Stop being a damn gutter head!" Alphard smacked Raiden over the head. She sat stiff and turned back to the glowing flames, face burning and heart racing. Her dream started replaying in her mind.

"Ouch!" The taller of the two cursed as she rubbed at the sore spot. "I'm sorry Al, but both of you have some intense feelings."

"Feelings? What did you sense?"

"Well I had this image of her kissing you… was I wrong?"

"Not really, but it was just a dream I had last night."

"Aha! My ability never disappoints me. You've been thinking about it this whole time, haven't you? That's why I picked up on it. But what about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I sense the same emotions from Canaan." Both of them turned their gazes to the younger girl who seemed to be entranced by the fire.

"That can't be. You know our past. It's taken a lot for us to just get past the desire to kill each other. H-how can it turn into something romantic? That's… that's ridiculous."

"You know, dreams are our unconscious desires brought to the forefront of our minds." Alphard glared at her friend.

"I'm not into Canaan! There's no way I could have any feelings for her." _Right? And there's no way Canaan could feel like that towards me? Just the thought is… is… _Alphard paused in her thoughts. _It doesn't seem so unpleasant… but it is highly impossible._

Meanwhile, Canaan sat and stared thoughtfully into the fire. She had her own concerns that she tried to work out in her mind. She never really noticed that her raven haired companion had left her side until a while later she lifted her head and spotted her sitting close to Raiden.

Canaan's heart dropped.

They were sitting so close; their faces were inches apart as they spoke in what seemed to be a heated discussion. Alphard for the most part, looked flushed and agitated.

_Is that how one feels when you're in love?_

She watched them for a second longer and then turned back to the fire. _Am I feeling… jealous?_ Canaan wasn't completely oblivious to emotions, though she never had a lot of experience with a wide variety of them. Hate and anger had been the strongest emotions she had ever had to deal with or feel. And now she was feeling jealous.

Of Alphard sitting so close to Raiden and giving all of her attention to the red head. Canaan sighed.

"I told you, we haven't done anything like that!"

"Aw, how boring. I think we've avoided your lady trouble enough though." Raiden turned her attention to the lone figure. She had felt a spark in emotion from the young girl, and knew immediately what she was feeling.

_Al dear, I think you both might be in for a big shocker sometime soon. Even if I have to get one of you to realize it myself!_

"So Canaan," said girl raised her eyes at being addressed. "I hear you're a synesthete. We've got something in common!" Raiden grinned at Canaan's confusion.

She ushered Alphard closer to Canaan and sat close with them too.

"Canaan, Raiden has an ability like you, though hers is a bit different." Alphard clarified and gave Raiden a droll look.

"Really?" Canaan perked up and sat a bit closer to Alphard. This caused the dark haired woman to suck in a deep breath. Thanks to her friends suggestions she was now hyper aware of the younger girl, and now doubted all of her emotions.

_Damn you Raiden, _Alphard thought.

_Hehehe, _Raiden chuckled in her mind and shot her oblivious friend a knowing smile and then a suggestive wink.

"You see things in colour, right? Well, I feel things as thought. I can feel what you feel and it creates an image in my head. If you think something strong enough, I can feel it and then I'll see it in my mind and have a good idea of what you're thinking. I can also almost tell the future and the past. Each place has an aura, and I can feel that and then see images of what happened, or sometimes of what might happen."

By the look of self-satisfaction on the red head's face Alphard could tell that she was enjoying talking about herself, like she always did.

"I never knew there was someone else like me." Now Canaan had a new respect for Alphard's friend, though she still felt a twinge of jealousy. She didn't even understand why she was jealous.

"I met Al here when she was a fresh foreigner. She had such strong emotions that I was just drawn to her. We've been friends ever since the day she stepped foot on this beach."

The night felt relaxed and enlightening, and the darkness was shed by the light of the fire and by the pool light up on the platform atop the steps that led to Raiden's house. The blue light of the pool cast a brilliant background hue surrounding the luxurious house.

"She has retold her entire past to me. That includes everything about you, Canaan. You were a very big part in it all." Raiden winked at the synesthete, who only blinked in confusion.

_I think this one might be a bit dense…_ Raiden sighed and mentally wished her friend good luck. From what she had heard, these two were so intertwined that it wouldn't surprise her if they had been together in many lifetimes before. Even though their past was rather violent and filled with angst, she could see how they would work well together as a couple. _They'd be so cute together too._

"What brought you to South Africa, Canaan?" In the fire light Raiden's golden eyes had a redish tint to them, making her already intense gaze that much stronger.

Canaan thought for a moment, and then decided that she liked Raiden and proceeded to explain her reason for being here and everything she had encountered so far.

"What?! That virus is HERE?" As usual, Raiden's exclamation was particularly loud. When Canaan nodded, Raiden continued talking. "So because you nearly killed that Yuri woman, you're no longer on the job?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Do you still have all that info that Yukino gave you? "

Canaan tilted her head to the side. "I do…"

Raiden gained a mysterious glint of determination in her eyes, and turned to her two visitors. "Then listen to this."

* * *

Extra Note: Yes, Raiden is a male name, and no, I don't care. My character is a sexy female Raiden, like it or not XD I love her too much to change her at all. I have drawn a picture of Shizuku Raiden, which will be posted on my Facebook page, for those who would like to see what she looks like ;)


	11. Chapter 11: Break The Ice

Author's Note: Turns out Raiden charmed my socks off, so enjoy! (Song by Britney Spears)

Chapter 11: Break the Ice

* * *

"_I know it's been a while, but I'm glad you came, and I've been thinking 'bout how you say my name. You got my body spinning like a hurricane and it feels like you got me going insane, and I can't get enough."_

* * *

"Good morning sunshine!"

Curtains were yanked open, causing sharp light to spill through the windows and bathe the hung-over figure groaning in the bed.

"Come on, rise and shine!" Raiden pulled the blanket off of Alphard and grinned at her friend's current state.

"Go away." Alphard groaned and hid her face under the pillow and curled into the foetal position. Her head was pounding and she felt like if she opened her eyes, they would melt.

"If you get up then I can give you something that'll take care of the hangover in no time."

This was enough to get Alphard to remove her head from under the pillow and squint up at her friend. "Really?"

"Yip! Now get your ass in the shower and meet me downstairs in half an hour." With that said the energetic red head sauntered out of the room and disappeared down the stairs. Alphard stared after her for a moment, and then decided to follow the request.

Last night they had ended up talking and drinking well into the early hours of the morning. Well, Alphard drank the alcohol while Canaan and Raiden stuck to normal fizzy drinks. Due to their synesthesia, neither could get intoxicated. Drinking was a rare occasion for Alphard, so she had a low tolerance and ended up tipsy after one drink, and then drunk a few drinks later. Her current agony was the result.

_I'm never drinking again._ She groaned inwardly and then got up from the comfy double bed she had passed out in.

The room itself looked like a master bedroom, but it was just one of the few guest rooms the house had. The floor was made of a soft blue carpet, and the walls were a similar gentle shade. The door to the room sat in the left corner, with the bathroom door directly in front of the bed.

Alphard headed to the bathroom, took a shower and then headed downstairs to join her friend in a record of 23 minutes.

"Here you go."

A long glass was placed in front of the ex-terrorist, and she eyed it with disgust and reluctance.

"Is that bits of fruit in there?"

"Don't stress over what's in there, just drink it. It'll help, I promise."

Not wanting to argue and desperately needing a cure for her painful state, Alphard tightly closed her eyes and downed the drink.

"Ugh." It tasted horrible, but she was glad to get it over with. "Sorry for passing out last night, and thanks for letting us stay. By the way, where is Canaan?" The raven-head recalled being dragged to the guest room by Canaan before she had fallen into unconsciousness. She wondered if the younger girl was okay.

"Still sleeping. I figured I'd let her sleep in a bit more since she had you to keep under control the whole night." Raiden grinned evilly and turned away from Alphard.

"What did I do?" The younger of the two asked in worry, silently hoping that she hadn't done anything embarrassing.

"Oh nothing that bad… except for falling in the pool and nearly drowning. You also told us you're the most badass soldier ever, and ran around the beach using your hands as pretend guns. Canaan was running around after you, trying to keep you from drowning yourself in the sea or the pool."

Alphard groaned. _Definitely won't ever drink again._

"So how are you feeling? Better?"

"I…" Alphard remained still for a moment. "I actually feel a lot better. That stuff actually worked." Her voice as well as her expression was shocked.

"Heh, I told you! I'm always right." Raiden flashed a wide smile. "I think it's time to wake your lady trouble, though. It's getting late." Both turned their eyes to the stairs.

"I guess so…"

Alphard stood from the dining room table and headed up to the second floor, entering the room Canaan was still sleeping in. The curtains were still shut which cast the room in gloomy darkness.

The former terrorist stopped by the bedside and looked down at Canaan's sleeping face. She couldn't bring herself to wake the synesthete and disturb that peaceful expression.

_Could I really have feelings for her… could I be falling in love? _

She continued staring at the peaceful face framed by dishevelled white hair.

"Al…phard." Canaan sighed in her sleep and smiled, oblivious to the subject of her subconscious being right beside her.

Upon hearing her name Alphard felt her heart skip a beat. A gentle warmth started building in her chest and spread out to her cheeks and down her arms. It was a strange yet delightful feeling, and Alphard realized that Canaan was the cause.

_Oh my God, I am falling in love with Canaan._

Alphard felt like she was about to panic. Her heart was now racing for an entirely different reason. She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way, especially for the sleeping figure in the bed. How could this have happened?

"Alphard?" The drowsy voice made Alphard start, causing her to stumble backwards and trip on her own feet.

_Shit, _was all she thought as she felt her body fall. Before she could hit the ground, though, red eyes flashed before her own and she felt Canaan's strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her back onto her feet. After catching her balance as well as her breath, Alphard sported a fresh blush across her cheeks.

_When did I start blushing?!_

"Are you okay?" Canaan asked, now very awake and hyperaware. When she saw Alphard fall she had acted out of pure instinct and caught her. Now she watched in puzzlement as Alphard blushed and her colours flashed a bright, vibrant red.

"I'm fine! Very fine!" _Shut up, you're sounding like an idiot. _"Uh Raiden sent me up here to wake you. So… you get ready and then I'll head back downstairs!" Alphard pushed Canaan away and then sprinted out of the door, trying her best to stop that damn blush.

Canaan was left blinking in confusion at Alphard's strange behaviour, but shrugged it off and went to take a shower. Not long after, she joined the other two in the lounge and sat down beside Alphard. Raiden gave her an odd look and then flashed Alphard a cheeky smile. The youngest of the three had no idea what was going on.

"Before you two head home, how about you spend the afternoon and swim?" The plotting red head suggested and ignored the glare her friend was directing at her. She instead trained her strong golden gaze on the synesthete and waited for her to answer.

"I… don't mind." Canaan answered and failed to notice Alphard's stricken expression.

"Lovely! I'll borrow some costumes to you and Al here, so follow me."

Reluctantly Alphard followed Canaan and Raiden up to her bedroom and waited for her to step out of her closet, and when she did she placed clothing in their hands.

"Change fast and meet me outside! Have fun." She winked and then slipped out of the room, snickering to herself the whole way down to the pool.

Alphard decided to change in the room she had slept in and Canaan changed in the bathroom. As soon as she was dressed, the former Snakes leader headed down to the pool where she found her taller friend lazing on a beach chair.

"What are you planning?" She asked softly but furiously.

"Whatever do you mean?" The tall beauty responded with an innocent expression, tilting her head to the side at Alphard's upset frown.

"You know what I-" She was interrupted by Raiden's low whistle, and when she turned she felt her heart nearly stop.

Canaan had arrived, and she looked incredibly gorgeous in a two piece white bikini. Having grown in the past 2 years, Canaan's body looked mature and a lot more filled out. Her breasts, although not obscenely large, were definitely bigger with a noticeable amount of cleavage. Her hips were rounder and her stomach appeared more muscled and her abs more defined.

"Stop drooling there, Al." At the chuckle that followed Alphard turned and smacked Raiden over the head.

"You planned this didn't you?!" She hissed and turned to Canaan to see if she had heard the comment. She had heard the whistle though, and now she blushed a faint colour of red.

_I've never really seen her blush before… it's kinda cute… NO! No, no, no. I'm not having this conversation with myself. Canaan isn't even a friend yet… I cannot let myself feel this… whatever this is. _

Canaan felt her cheeks burn at the appreciative looks coming from Raiden and surprisingly Alphard too. She blushed even deeper when Raiden winked, and suddenly felt really self-conscious of her lack of clothing.

She took a deep breath and tried to look as though this wasn't affecting her but then she took a moment to look Alphard up and down. She regretted it when her heart started pounding.

_Why is my heart going so fast?_ She felt like panicking and wondered if she had maybe caught a cold or something, which would explain her near constant high temperature and fastened heart rate.

Alphard wore a black bikini top that showed her full breasts quite nicely, and along with that dark blue swimming shorts. Canaan noted how toned and fit Alphard still was, and ran her eyes over the curve of her breasts down to her defined abdomen muscles. She realized all too late that she had been staring and quickly looked away. _Was I actually thinking how… sexy she is?_

Raiden had to contain her laugh as she felt and watched the emotional display before her. To end the intensity of the moment, however, she stood and got their attention.

"Swimming time!" She exclaimed and jumped onto Alphard's back. Her poor victim didn't have time to react as she stumbled and then fell into the pool with a laughing Raiden on her back. Canaan watched the scene, and then burst out laughing.

Alphard heard the laughter and felt her blush deepen.

"Think that was funny, huh?"

Canaan stopped laughing when Alphard climbed out of the pool and stalked towards her.

"N-no! That wasn't funny at all… I just… Alphard… No!" Alphard grabbed Canaan and swung her over her shoulder, ignoring the synesthete's protests as she carried her over to the pool.

Raiden watched and laughed so hard that she nearly breathed the water in and drowned.

"Alphard… please let me down!"

"Let you down? Okay."

"No… wait!"

Splash.

Raiden snorted due to the force of her laughter, and just waved her hand around like a retarded seal. She couldn't seem to stop laughing, because the look on Alphard's, especially Canaan's face, was just hilarious.

"I can't believe you did that!" Canaan sputtered after she had surfaced and taken a few deep breaths.

"Well you wanted me to let you down." Alphard shrugged her shoulders and grinned. Canaan growled and bolted out of the pool, playful revenge now her new objective.

After seeing her intent in Canaan's eyes, Alphard decided to just jump in the pool before Canaan could push her in. Canaan jumped in after her.

The trio spend some time swimming, trying to drown each other and joking around until they were out of energy.

"Alphard." Canaan floated closer to the raven-head and lowered her voice. "Can I ask you something?"

Alphard nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the seriousness in the white haired girl's voice.

"Are you in love with someone?"

The question was so sudden that Alphard sputtered in surprise and gave Canaan a comically distressed look.

"What!? W-why would you think that?"

Raiden had been floating on her back by the opposite side of the pool, and floated around onto her stomach, casting a curious look at the two.

"Well, I noticed your strange behaviour last night, and your colour is the colour of love. It's been the same today as well. You've also been blushing and seem flustered all the time. I don't know much about love, but it seems like that's the case here." Alphard merely remained silent and stared at Canaan who continued. "So I tried to think of who could be affecting you like this, and there's only one person it could be."

"There is?"

Canaan floated forward and placed her hands on either side of Alphard's shoulders, looking her pointedly in the eyes. Alphard gulped hard, and wondered if Canaan had found out.

_She can't know I've developed feelings for her, can she? I only just realized this morning… she… she… her hands are so warm…_

"Raiden."

"Huh?" Alphard blinked and waited for Canaan to repeat her sentence as she had spaced out and missed it.

"You must be in love with Raiden."

"Me? And her?" Both turned to the oblivious red head who was busy doing backflips into the pool.

"Yes."

In answer Alphard started laughing. She couldn't help it. The thought of her being with Raiden was the funniest and most impossible thing ever.

"I'm wrong?" Canaan was so sure she was right.

"I'm sorry Canaan, but you are very wrong. That woman drives me crazy. Most times I wonder why I haven't strangled her yet." This was overheard by Raiden who shot daggers at Alphard for the comment.

"Then… who…" Alphard stopped smiling and gulped. She had to distract the synesthete before she gave it too much thought and actually figured it out.

"How about I get us some drinks?" She said as she headed for the pool stairs. She had climbed out of the pool and disappeared before Canaan could respond.

"Canaan." Raiden floated to the confused looking girl, and grinned. She knew exactly what they had talked about, thanks to her ability, and she also knew that her dear friend Al had come to realize her feelings. Whether it was wise or not to interfere, she didn't care, because she was going to interfere anyway.

"You thought it was me?"

"Um…" Canaan wondered how Raiden knew, and then she remembered that the red head also had an ability, and looked away.

"Do you have any idea of who she could be in love with?"

"So she is in love with someone?"

Raiden nodded enthusiastically and waited for Canaan to get it. She didn't, so the tall beauty sighed and pulled Canaan closer so that she could whisper into her ear.

"She's in love… with you."

Raiden pushed herself away from Canaan and just floated backwards, blowing bubbles as she watched the expressions on Canaan's face change from confusion, to shock, to fear, to realization and then to panic.

"Who wants a drink?" Alphard stepped outside and approached the pool, stopping when she saw the panicked look on Canaan's face and the very satisfied one on Raiden's

_Oh no, what did she do…_ Alphard thought and gulped.


	12. Chapter 12: Nothing Else Matters

Author's Note: (Music piece by Apocalyptica)

Chapter 12: Nothing Else Matters

* * *

_*There are no lyrics, so here's a little Canaan quote*_

"_Alphard… I see you now, can you see me? I just want to be with you…"_

* * *

Canaan opened her eyes but closed them again, regretting the action as a sharp pain shot across her temple and nearly blinded her. She tried to move but found her arms were tied behind her back and her legs were tied together, too tightly.

"Where am I?" Her words rang meaningless in the darkness that surrounded her. It felt hot, suffocating and hopeless. "Alphard?! Raiden?!" She called out.

No one answered and it seemed as though there was no one near.

Canaan managed to change her position so that she was no longer lying on her stomach and instead was seated against what felt like a wooden wall. There really was no light other than a tiny hole in the wall in front of her, only illuminating a tiny bit of the area around the hole.

The synesthete grunted as she shuffled over to the hole and attempted to look outside. All she could see were trees and leaves. No people, not even a building. Where the hell was she?!

* * *

"Alphard, calm down!"

"Don't tell me to calm down when she could possibly be dead right now!"

"I know," Raiden put a hand on her friend to still her angry pacing. "But I need to concentrate. If you stay calm then I can find out what happened and where she is."

Alphard released an angry huff of air but nodded and sat down by a tree.

It was now 4 days after their pool day at Raiden's house. When they had first met after a month of not seeing each other, Raiden had found out about the Ua virus and pleaded with Alphard and Canaan to work together to stop the Snakes. She had many people in the country that she loved, not to mention that she lived here too.

After a long time discussing and planning, Canaan and Alphard had agreed due to their conscience that wouldn't let them say no. It was strange for Canaan, because she had always done missions, jobs, and objectives. Never had she done something like this without being paid. She had never considered herself bad, though she didn't think she was good either.

But something about the two older women pleading with her to help made her want to. So she agreed.

They had decided to watch the Snakes hideout to possibly find more information, which is where they found themselves now.

Alphard and Raiden had gone somewhere together just for a moment and had asked Canaan to stay in the car and keep watch over the building. When they returned, Canaan was gone and there was a large amount of blood on the car seat that the young girl had occupied.

From that moment Alphard had started panicking, imagining the worst possible scenario. She blamed herself for having left the synesthete alone.

Raiden took a deep breath and placed a hand on her car door, letting the surrounding energy feed her mental images until she knew exactly what had happened.

She saw herself and Alphard telling Canaan to wait, and then they disappeared in the trees. She then saw Canaan sit still for a long moment, just staring at the house, though she seemed very distracted. Her synesthesia wasn't even on, and it should have been.

One of the Snake guards that walked through the woods beside the big house had seen Canaan, and due to her distraction, he managed to sneak up to her with his knife and then grab her around the neck. She managed to dodge the blade as it sliced through the air, but she failed to notice the second guard until the butt of his gun connected to the side of her head with a sickening thud, and she fell back into the seat. That must have been where the blood came from.

The last image Raiden saw was of the guards picking Canaan up and carrying her away towards the house.

She quickly retold the story to Alphard and watched with worry as her friend seemed to darken and grow quieter.

"Raiden, do you have a gun with you?"

"I do."

"Give it to me."

"Al, you know what this means."

Alphard gave her friend a cold stare, one the red head had never seen before. Not even when she had upset Alphard with her teasing and jokes, or her selfishness and big headedness. This was the old Alphard, or at least a shadow of it, and it honestly scared Raiden.

"Give. Me. The. Gun." Though calm and controlled, Alphard's voice held a dangerous edge to it that made Raiden obey and hand her gun over to her without any more argument. Not another word was said as Alphard gripped the weapon tightly in her hand and bolted in the direction the men had taken Canaan in.

* * *

The blood on her face had dried on her skin, but the throbbing in her temple and ribs had intensified. The air had only gotten hotter and heavier, making it harder to breathe as time went on.

Canaan guessed that she must have been here for hours, at least it felt like hours. She remembered now what had happened back at the car, but she still didn't know where she was.

Was Alphard looking for her? She smiled at the thought. Suddenly a voice invaded her mind.

"_She's in love… with you."_

It was an absurd thought. How could Alphard feel that way towards her? Was it even possible?

Canaan took a deep shaky breath and coughed at the effort.

Now that she really thought about it, it did make sense. All the blushing, that flash of vibrant red the night Yuri had ordered her to kill her. That night in particular finally made sense. Alphard had loved her enough to give her life up for her.

_How long have you felt this way, Alphard? And when were you going to tell me?_

An image of Alphard's smiling face along with her mischievous blue eyes entered Canaan's mind and her heart fluttered. She analysed the feeling and concentrated on her emotional reactions with each different thought of Alphard that crossed her mind.

She remembered that day on the train and felt a deep pang of pain, so she changed her thoughts to the day she finally saw the former terrorist again. Her heart had nearly stopped, and now Canaan wasn't so sure if it had been in a negative or positive reaction.

Had her heart reacted because of her secret joy at finally seeing that face again, or was it really out of anger and hate? She couldn't tell anymore.

Canaan's mind flashed back to the bathroom incident when Alphard had stumbled into the room and grabbed hold of her arm. Her face burnt up and her heart skipped a beat. She thought back to the times when Alphard had laughed, when she had smiled, and to the time when they had cried together on the beach.

She realized that that was probably the moment her awareness of her feelings had started to awaken.

If only she had realized earlier.

_What if I die here? What if they never find me, and I never get a chance to see if she really does love me, the way I realize I love her?_

Canaan coughed again and winced at the pain in her lungs. What if…

* * *

A dark figure darted behind the trees, visible for only a second before it was gone.

A man felt a shiver run down his spine as if he was being watched, and swore he saw movement by one of the trees. He and a buddy of his were stationed at the entrance gate to the Headquarters. With automatic weapons in hands, they stood alert and still.

A sound in the bushes to his right made one of the men look to his friend, who nodded, and then he stepped away from his post and went to inspect the area where the noise had resonated from.

Behind him, a shadow appeared behind his friend.

Alphard gave the man in front of her one last glance before she placed her hands on either side of his head and yanked it around, breaking his neck and killing him in a second. She neither flinched nor blinked when the second man turned and started shooting at her.

With lighting speed Alphard twisted and twirled to dodge the bullets until she was close enough to shoot the gun out of the man's hand.

He yelled out in pain as bullets ripped through his hands, legs and shoulders. Not even a second after he had fallen, a shadow loomed over him and looked down at him with cold and emotionless eyes.

"Did you see where two of your buddies took a girl?"

"A girl? What girl?"

Alphard sighed in dissatisfaction and kicked the man's injured leg. He cried out in pain and looked up at her with tears in his eyes. He really was hurting badly.

"A girl with white hair. She was taken not too long ago by you people. Where is she?"

She cocked the gun in her hand and rested her chin on it, presenting a frightening image of lethality and danger.

"W-we saw two of our guys drag a girl off into t-the woods."

"Do you know where they took her?"

"No, I swear. I just know the boss told them to lock her up somewhere. Down there." He pointed to his right at a slope that led downwards, and then turned to look back at Alphard.

"Your boss? Who is-" Her question was cut off when she heard shouting in the distance. Back up had arrived.

"You'll let me live, right?"

Alphard turned her gaze back to him and crouched down beside him.

"I never said that." And then she pressed her gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

She stood and darted off in the direction the man had indicated, hoping that his confessions would lead her to Canaan. Alphard would find her, and she would kill anyone she had to, to get her back safely.

* * *

_Alphard, I wish you were here; it's getting harder to breathe._

Canaan coughed painfully and leaned closer to the hole in the wall, hoping the slight opening would provide her with at least a small amount of oxygen.

She would have tried to escape, but she felt too weak and she was in too much pain. Her head throbbed as well as her ribs, and her ankles and wrists had started to hurt due to the tight binding. She could barely even feel her hands anymore.

The synesthete struggled to keep her eyes open, and just barely managed to succeed. To keep her mind awake she decided to do what she had been doing all this time. She sat and thought.

Alphard was the main subject in her mind. She thought of everything they had done together until now, of how far they had come. She imagined what they might do together in the future, but that train of thought brought a lump to her throat and a heaviness to her heart.

She guessed that she didn't have much time left. She would never get to tell Alphard about her feelings, or even have a future with the beautiful woman.

The synesthete smiled sadly to herself. _Can we even have a future if I survive this? Considering our past… no… I think it could work, because of our past. We know each other better than anyone does, we've gone through a lot together, and we have been through the same things._

"Alphard…" Canaan managed to whisper before she slumped against the wall and slid onto the ground in an unconscious heap.

* * *

A bullet flew past her head and lodged into a tree. Alphard glanced behind her at the 4 or so men chasing her.

She gripped the gun tighter and made a fast turn. She hid behind a bunch of rocks and waited for the men to run past, and when they did she ran up behind them and pulled the closest one into a headlock. Before he could make a noise his was silenced and thrown onto the ground.

Now with only 3 opponents left, Alphard ran right up to them and shot one of them in the head. The other two turned and watched their partner crumble into a dead heap on the ground, and then raised their guns and aimed at the blur of Alphard as she darted around escaping the bullets. She rose in front of the first man and punched him right under the nose with incredible strength, bone piercing his brain and killing him in an instant. She watched him drop and then ducked as the second man lunged at her with his gun. She tripped him as he flew past her and then shot him several times in neat succession. The last man swung a punch at her but she caught him effortlessly.

She locked cold blue onto angered and fearful green, and smirked when he looked about ready to shit himself.

Alphard caught his arm in her strong hands and broke it by the elbow with her fist. The man shrieked in pain and gasped when his other arm was captured and pulled behind his back at a painfully unnatural angle.

"Tell me what I want to know and I won't rip your arm off." Alphard's emotionlessly cold voice caused the whimpering man to jerk in surprise.

"Okay! I'll tell you whatever you want to know, just please don't rip it off." He had tears in his eyes and breathed in panicked gasps.

"Good. Now where did you take a white haired girl? She was ordered captured and brought here into the woods. Where do you keep prisoners?"

The man took too long to answer and received a bolt of pain in his shoulder and arm when it was pushed even harder.

"W-we have a c-cabin h-here for prisoners."

"Take me to it."

"But…"

Alphard pulled his arm harder and heard a slight cack followed by the man's scream of agony.

"Okay, okay!"

She finally released him but didn't let him rest.

"Now." She ordered and pressed the nozzle of the gun against his head. The Snake soldier gulped loudly and stood while trying his best to ignore the burning pain in his arms. He was able to cradle his broken arm with the other one, even though that one was injured too.

They trekked through the vegetation until a small cabin finally came into view.

"There, if she was taken then she should be in there. Though, if she has been in there long then she might not be alive. The cabin has no windows and there's barely breathable air in there. You need to hurry."

Alphard gave the man a stone cold glare, and instead of just killing him she decided to spare him.

"Thank you." She said, but before the man could sigh in relief the hard metal of a gun connected with his temple and knocked him out.

Alphard didn't even watch as he fell because she was already sprinting towards the wooden cabin.

"Canaan?!" She called out and stopped in front of the door. She didn't wait for a response and kicked the door down. Her heart dropped into her stomach when the light fell into the dark space and bathed an unmoving Canaan.

"Canaan!" She shot forward and pulled the synesthete into her arms. The panicked raven-head noticed the restraints and broke them loose with her bare hands. She didn't feel the pain or notice that her hands were bleeding.

All she could see was Canaan's bruised and bloody face.

"Canaan, wake up!" She pulled the limp body of the synesthete out into the fresh air and stumbled onto the ground. Canaan didn't move when she placed her onto the ground and gently slapped her cheek. Alphard checked for a pulse, but found none.

"No!" She refused to let Canaan die.

Alphard leaned forward and placed her lips against Canaan's cold ones. She blew air into her lungs and then performed CPR. She alternated between giving her air to forcing her heart to beat, and eventually, by sheer determination on Alphard's part, Canaan's body jerked and she started to breath.

"Canaan!" Alphard pulled Canaan into her arms once more and buried her face in the synesthete's neck, allowing herself to slip out of her killer mode and cry. She cried harder when she felt Canaan weakly stroke the back of her neck.

"Alphard." The voice was weak but it held a lot of emotion.

Alphard sat up and stared down into Canaan's smiling face.

"Canaan… I… I need to tell you something." Her tears hadn't stopped, but they seemed to slow.

"I know. But … can… wait. I'm s-still sore… and tired, and I-I t-think we should… get out of here… and somewhere... s-safe." Each word was a struggle for her, because with each breath her head pounded and her lungs burnt.

"Okay." Alphard smiled despite her tears and the force of her shaking. She needed to get herself under control so that she could get Canaan to safety. She was about to stand but paused when a trembling hand covered her cheek, and Canaan turned her face down towards her own.

"Alphard, thank you." Canaan looked deeply into Alphard's eyes, and then pulled her face down and kissed her.

The former terrorist's eyes widened in pure surprise as Canaan covered her lips, but soon she closed them and responded to the kiss. She felt her heart burst with emotion that she could barely handle, and nearly melted at the feel of soft, though cold lips moving with her own.

"You lips are warm." Canaan said when she had pulled away for air.

Alphard grinned. "And yours are cold, but I'll take care of that."

Canaan wanted to laugh but her chest still burnt and she just ended up coughing and whimpering in pain.

Regaining her seriousness, Alphard stood with Canaan in her arms and started off running as fast as she could.

* * *

"Boss, they're getting away. The tall one managed to save the girl."

Menacing eyes followed the disappearing figure as it darted off into the distance.

"Should I send some guys out to catch them?"

"No, leave them be. We won't bother them yet."

The man stared at his boss for a moment, and then simply nodded and waited for an order to leave.

"Just you wait Alphard, just you wait." The boss muttered softly, glaring off to the distance with a wicked smile.

"Boss? Did you say something?"

"No. You may leave."

He bowed deeply and then left the room, glad to be away from the menacing presence of their leader, and wondered what it was she was up to this time.


	13. Chapter 13: Lightning

Author's Note: Warning, a lot of fluffy romance ensues. Just prepare yourself for a lot of corny and sappy romantic things to be said and done. *Giggles like a fangirl* I'm going to be in a love coma for a while after this XD enjoy! (Song by The Wanted)

Chapter 13: Lightning

* * *

"_When your lips touch mine it's the kiss of life. I know, I know that it's a little bit frightening. We might as well be playing with lightning. We touch like, like it's our first time. Oh oh. I know that it's a little bit frightening. We might as well be playing__with lightning now."_

* * *

The silent house would have remained empty if a sleeping figure had not been slumped on the rather comfortable leather couch. Soft breathing and the occasional loud snore would break the silence every so often. This peaceful scene, however, was broken when the front door opened.

Alphard closed the door behind her and looked over at her friend who had passed out on her couch. She felt her lungs burn with the force of her breathing and closed her eyes for a moment to steady her heartbeat. The unconscious girl in her arms shifted slightly, reminding the taller of the two that she was still injured and needed to be tended to.

With a last deep breath Alphard went over to the couch and kicked it hard enough to rouse the sleeping figure, who then grumbled and looked up at a glaring face.

"Help me get Canaan into my bed." Alphard uttered in a hoarse voice, her strain and exhaustion plainly written in her voice and on her face.

Without a moment's hesitation Raiden jumped up from the couch and rushed towards Alphard's room, opening the door for them to enter and then pulling the blankets back so that the sleeping girl could be placed onto the bed and then covered.

"Thanks." Was all the exhausted woman could say before she collapsed beside the bed and rested her head against the mattress, all the while clutching Canaan's hand in her own.

Sensing the turmoil of emotions, Raiden simply patted her friend on the shoulder and offered a supportive smile before she gathered her things and left for her own home.

Alphard had walked all the way back with Canaan in her arms. Being the new and changed person that she was, she no longer did such trying exercises. So her muscles were sore and killing her. It wouldn't surprise her if she ended up partially paralyzed when she woke, because that was her last drifting thought before her heavy eyelids closed and her breathing evened.

The exhaustion had overcome her so fast that she couldn't fight it off. So Alphard slept, slouched awkwardly on the floor against the bed, with her head resting beside Canaan's shoulder and the synesthete's hand still wrapped by her own.

An hour had passed until the white haired girl blinked her eyes open and regarded the ceiling in confusion. Images flashed by in her mind until she had completely recalled everything that had happened. A sudden fear took over her and she sat up too fast, causing her injured ribs and head to throb in pain, sending her down onto her back once more. She felt the panic bubble up inside of her until a familiar sound touched her ears and calmed her heart.

She glanced down to her side and caught sight of Alphard sleeping beside the bed, looking uncomfortable. Eventually the warm sensation of something covering her hand registered in Canaan's mind and she looked down at her hand. It was Alphard's hand upon her own, the raven-head's fingers intertwined with hers. The memory of their first kiss caused her heart to warm and speed up at the same time.

With a slight groan of pain, Canaan managed to crawl out of bed to Alphard's side. She shook the sleeping woman's shoulder until her tired eyes opened and she was rewarded with a smile. The smile faded when Alphard regained full consciousness.

"What are you doing out of bed?! You are injured Canaan, you need your rest."

"I couldn't leave you sleeping on the floor like that. You're probably already hurting."

About to protest, Alphard stood and then lost her voice as burning pain shot out through all of her muscles. She gasped in pain and then took a deep breath, putting a brave face on for Canaan who seemed fearfully worried.

"You're right. I'll head to the lounge and sleep on the couch, if that bugger Raiden isn't still here." Alphard made a move to leave the room but a firm grip on her hand stopped her.

"No. You can… uh…" Canaan felt her cheeks burn with a slight blush. "S-sleep with me." She stuttered.

"Okay." Alphard smiled and resisted the urge to snicker at Canaan's obvious blush.

Together they attempted to climb into bed and under the covers without hurting themselves too much, but it seemed a trying task. Eventually they lay still, bodies aching and hearts racing. Beneath the blanket, Canaan's hand met Alphard's halfway, and once more their fingers intertwined. The two fell asleep with content smiles on their faces.

* * *

Morning came all too quickly for Alphard as the sun invaded her room and shone brightly enough to wake her from a comatose slumber. She squinted at the window with a sigh, and then smiled as the next thing she saw made her breath hitch and her heart skip a beat.

Canaan was curled up against her side, a leg thrown over her thighs and a strong arm wrapped around her waist. This position made it impossible for Alphard to get up, because she couldn't find the heart to wake the girl who was glued to her side.

_Besides, this is kind of nice…_ Alphard grinned up at the ceiling and just accepted her fate of being concealed under Canaan's warm body until the synesthete woke and released her.

Figuring that she would probably be there for a while, Alphard took the time to think things over and decide on what it was she felt.

Before everything she had been confused at the possibility of being in love with Canaan.

_I'm in love with Canaan, completely. How did this even happen? Could it be that I've felt like this all along, and I've only realised it now? When I think about it, during my terrorist days I had been given many opportunities to kill her, but I never did. Why? _

_Because deep down I loved her… _

Canaan shifted and moved upwards, bringing her face against Alphard's neck.

Alphard froze when she felt warm breath caress the sensitive skin on her neck. She didn't want to acknowledge the reaction her body was having to Canaan's close proximity, but it was difficult to ignore when the sleeping girl snuggled closer to her and tightened her grip.

_Oh hell, what am I going to do?_

To Alphard's contradicting disappointment and relief, her phone ran loudly from the bedside table. In a quick grab Alphard answered it and looked down at her side.

Canaan stared up at her through half lidded silver eyes. She yawned and then simply rested her head back down against Alphard's neck, this time fully aware of her actions.

"Yeah, yeah. No, we're fine. Thanks. Okay, bye Rai." Alphard ended the call and then placed the phone back on the bedside table. She returned to her comfortable cocoon of body heat and couldn't help but smile.

"Comfy?" Alphard asked. _Because you sure are…_

"Very," was the blissful reply.

"Canaan?" _I never realized, but now I sort of enjoy saying your name. Canaan…_

"Hmm?"

"There's something I think I should tell you." _I can't keep it to myself anymore, not after almost losing you._

"Okay." The simple tone made Alphard nervous, and she felt her confidence waver.

_She kissed me, which has to mean she feels the same, right? It couldn't have just been a thing done out of shock or gratitude?_

"I… um… the thing is, that recently I've realised a few things…"

"What things?"

"Um… you see, I've recently started… feeling things…. And…"

"And?"

Alphard remained silent, her frustration at her inability to confess growing with each second that went by.

"Your heart is beating really hard."

"It is?"

"And fast."

Alphard gulped. Canaan was bound to figure it out by the intense beating of her heart directly below the smaller girl's ear.

"Canaan… I… um… I've fallen in lo-"

Her confession was interrupted by a pair of soft lips capturing her own. Canaan did it again, she surprised her with a kiss, though Alphard wasn't complaining. She melted into the kiss and tried to pour all of her emotions into it.

Alphard gently pulled Canaan on top of her, mindful of their injuries and making sure not to hurt the synesthete. Canaan responded by losing her hands in tangles of chin length black hair. It felt as silky to the touch as it looked to the eye.

Eventually Canaan's sore ribs bothered her enough to make her pull away and lean on her hands. She stared down at Alphard's flushed face, looking and feeling quite flustered herself.

"Canaan…"

"Alphard, I know, and I feel the same way. Being in that cabin made me think a lot, and it was completely about you." While speaking, Canaan smiled and ran a hand through Alphard's messy hair. "I realized then what I should have realized years ago. I'm in love with you. I love you. I've always loved you."

Hearts were beating erratically as the white haired synesthete confessed all of her feelings.

"I've always needed you, and I need you now. All along I hid my true feelings with a mask of hate. Yeah, you've done horrible things to me, but I've let all of that go. The thing I care about most right now is you. I can't ever lose you and I won't spend one more day living in oblivious denial. I love you Alphard, I love you so much that it hurts." Her cheeks were on fire with her chest feeling equally as hot. Canaan wanted to laugh at the shocked expression coming from the face below hers, but she had run out of words due to the intensity of her emotions.

"Canaan…" Alphard said and gently cupped Canaan's face in her hands. "Since when did you become more dominant than me?" This time Canaan did laugh because she couldn't resist the charming smile directed at her.

"It sort of just… came out I guess."

"I love you too. Almost losing you yesterday because of my stupidity made me realize how important you've become."

"It wasn't your fault that I was captured. I was so distracted when I knew I should have been focused."

"From now on I promise to protect you with my life, Canaan. You mean more to me than anything. I… I can no longer imagine life without you."

"I can look after myself."

"I know, but now you'll have an over protective bodyguard to back you up."

_Confessing like this, _Alphard thought,_ feels breath taking. I feel like I can tell her anything right now, no matter what it is, and she would accept it in a heartbeat. I guess a blessing can come disguised as a curse._

"Please don't ever scare me like that again." Alphard pulled Canaan closer.

"I will try my best, I promise." Canaan felt Alphard place a kiss against the top of her head and had to suppress tears of raw emotion. It was a wonder that she was able to contain her wildly beating heart.

"Can we just stay like this for a while?" Canaan asked and gripped a hand full of Alphard's shirt in her fist. She felt afraid that if she didn't cling onto her, she would disappear and wake up in that cabin ready to die. This all felt too surreal.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

They remained like that for the rest of the day, partly because of the fact that the feeling of closeness and their new found love was difficult to let go, but mainly because neither of them could move their sore bodies. Either way, Canaan lay against Alphard's side, while the raven-head held her tightly, never wanting to let go.


	14. Chapter 14: Insatiable

Author's Note: Attention! This chapter contains sexual content, so just be prepared -_- (Song by Darren Hayes)

Chapter 14: Insatiable

* * *

"_When moonlight crawls along the street, chasing away the summer heat. Footsteps outside somewhere below, the world revolves I let it go. We build our church above this street, we practice love between these sheets. The candy sweetness scent of you, it bathes my skin I'm stained by you."_

* * *

Before they knew it night had crept up and ended their bright day in a thick blanket of comfortable darkness. Not only had they slept the entire day, but they had done it while clinging desperately to each other.

Alphard had nightmares of Canaan disappearing from her forever, while Canaan had similar dreams where she was stuck in that cabin with no means of escape and no dark haired hero to save her. They had ended up waking each other from their dreams due to the nightmares.

Having been asleep for most of the day neither had eaten and decided to attempt getting out of bed to eat before they starved to death. Though she still hurt somewhat, Alphard felt a lot better and found she could move with a lot more ease than she had been able to earlier. Canaan was still in a vast amount of pain and discomfort.

Upon inspection Alphard concluded that Canaan must have been kicked in the ribs a few times, and though bruised, nothing seemed broken. The wound above her temple had been caused by a gun smacking into her head, which was when she had been knocked out and captured. Alphard still shivered in murderous fury when she thought about it. She had half a mind to return to the Snakes Headquarters with her gun and put a hole in every person she could find, just to get some sort of justice for what they had done to her smaller companion. But being the more peaceful person she was, although she had completely reverted to her old self to save Canaan before locking that dark side away again, she didn't want to have to resort to revenge. This was something they would have to just get over.

Unless someone outright threatened Canaan again, because then she would bring the bad Alphard out and all hell would break loose.

"Alphard?"

"Yes?" Alphard stopped her mental ranting and turned back around to see Canaan had stopped walking and had just slumped against the passage wall. She looked utterly defeated.

"Could you help me? I… I can't walk on my own without nearly falling over. It hurts." Feeling embarrassed at having asked for help, Canaan felt her heart jump when her arm was placed around strong shoulders and she felt Alphard's hand grip her side. She felt a pleasant shiver run through her body at being this close to the former terrorist again.

They were both all too aware of each other's warmth and enjoyed it too much to feel uncomfortable about it. Somewhere in between her fitful nightmares and being awake, Alphard had simply decided to just go with the flow. She no longer cared about her confusion and doubt.

It was true that their sudden romantic interest in each other was completely unexpected, to must unorthodox, but she didn't care.

She decided to let go of her worries and fears, and to just go with what felt right, and right now having Canaan clinging to her felt incredibly right. She didn't even feel embarrassment or shameful at having such thoughts about her former enemy. Her feelings were clear to her, and she no longer felt a need to deny them.

She was in love with her, and she seriously doubted anything could change that.

"You okay?"

They made their way into the crisp darkness of the lounge. Alphard stepped confidently up to the wall and flicked the light switch on, temporarily blinding them both. Alphard recovered quickly and then helped Canaan over to the couch.

"I'm okay, just hungry." Canaan replied and let herself sink deeper into the soft leather seat.

"Then let me take care of that while you just sit there and rest."

After that was said Alphard made good on her word and spent time in the kitchen putting things together to fill them enough. She took note of her near empty food stock and stuck a mental memo somewhere at the back of her mind to buy groceries when she and Canaan had recovered, or at least until she had recovered properly.

With food in hand she headed over to the couch, handed a bowel over to Canaan and then switched the TV on before taking a seat beside the injured girl. They remained silent as they munched and occasionally focused on what was playing across the screen, but before long they had finished eating and grew restless.

Sleeping wasn't an option right now because they had slept too much already, and even though they still felt exhausted, they had no desire to return to bed, though both had similar thoughts of returning to bed just to cuddle.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" The amused voice broke Canaan out of her cuddle fantasy and she nodded at the suggestion. "What do you want to watch?"

"Anything is fine." Canaan shrugged. She didn't have much insight into the latest movies. She had hardly even seen one throughout her life. Being the person she was, constantly on the field and fighting didn't leave much space open for normal activities such as watching movies or simply just enjoying another person's company, both of which she now relished.

After putting the movie on and switching the light off, Alphard resumed her place and pulled a nearby blanket over them as she scooted over to Canaan.

She felt uncharacteristically romantic at that moment and placed an arm around Canaan as the sappy romance movie she had smartly chosen started to play. Canaan simply leaned into the contact and eventually rested her head against Alphard's shoulder. This caused the black haired woman to swallow hard and close her eyes as her heart thundered in her chest. These emotions were difficult to handle when they suddenly came over her so powerfully.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed every second of Canaan's warm body against her own and the growing heat in her chest. It felt pleasantly painful, if that was possible.

As the movie played Canaan became more interested on the fictitious characters and their life. This movie was different for her, because instead of it being a normal romance like she had expected, it was instead a romantic movie revolving around two women. This was a very new experience for the young synesthete, as she had almost no experience with intimate relationships, let alone a same sex one. So to say the least, she was watching with great interest.

As she watched she began a long dialogue with herself in her mind, asking question which she herself eventually answered with her string of thoughts.

_Does gender matter? I never really gave gender a thought. The fact that Alphard and I are both girls never really mattered to me… now that I think about it. When I realized my feelings, it just felt right. Better than right. _

She spared a glance up at the tanned face focusing on the screen. Alphard sensed the attention and diverted her eyes, but by then Canaan had quickly removed her gaze and focused back onto the screen.

Her inner conversation carried on throughout the movie, giving her more insight into what a relationship was and everything it basically entailed. She had known, out of pure instinct, the basics to being in love. She felt the need to be held, she sensed the craving for emotional comfort as well as physical touch. Her instincts were never wrong.

What she hadn't really grasped properly was the physically intimate part of a relationship. The topic had entered her mind because the characters on screen were at the climax of the story, having confessed and succumbed to their desires. Their lack of clothing and sounds of passion made Canaan's eyes widened. She felt both embarrassed yet compelled to watch.

_Does Alphard want that kind of intimacy with me?_

She looked up again, staring intently into Alphard's face. The former terrorist looked absorbed in the movie, giving Canaan the perfect opportunity to just stare at her.

_I never noticed how gorgeous she is…_ Her thoughts caused her to blush, and the blush intensified when she caught herself staring at Alphard's neck and wondering what the sensitive skin would taste like.

She didn't even know where that sudden thought had come from.

_Do I want to be with Alphard like that? _She bit down onto her lip in concentration, letting her thoughts run loose and swarm around in her mind.

She tried, a bit flustered, to imagine Alphard and her in a similar moment of passion. She envisioned herself under Alphard, nearly naked, moaning her name.

Almost instantly she gasped in embarrassment and covered her face with her hands.

_Why am I even thinking about this?_

Absorbed in her embarrassing thoughts, Canaan didn't notice that the movie had ended and Alphard was watching her with a grin. When she eventually noticed the stare, Canaan felt her heart beat wildly in her chest.

"Are you okay? You look… pink." Even in the dark, Canaan's blush was plainly visible in the shallow TV light and Alphard had a good idea of what had caused it. She figured that a certain sex scene had sent the synesthete's mind into overdrive. She knew that the girl had no experience with that sort of thing and probably had no idea how it was even done.

"I'm fine." Canaan managed to say in a low whisper, too afraid to look Alphard directly in the eye. She felt too embarrassed and it was obvious that Alphard knew what she was thinking.

"Alright then." Alphard stood and stretched her arms above her head, unknowingly causing Canaan's eyes to widen at the show of tanned skin. The raven-head had removed her shirt after getting out of bed earlier and now only wore a sports bra.

_Why is the sight of her stomach making me feel so… pleasantly hot?_

Canaan shifted her gaze and tried not to squirm in her a seat. A subtle fire had started in her body, heating up from her heart downwards. She only had a second more to think about how her body was reacting to the gorgeous woman in front of her before her heart nearly completely stopped.

Alphard had been about to step away from the couch when her foot got hooked in the blanket and she tripped forward. It happened so suddenly that she couldn't stop her forward momentum and watched with wide eyes as she fell down towards Canaan.

The synesthete only had a fraction of a second to register the fact that Alphard was falling before she had to change her position to prevent herself from getting hurt. Alphard, ultra conscious of the younger girl's injuries, managed to stop herself from completely landing on the body below hers. This attempt at saving Canaan from pain had led them into a very awkward position.

Canaan lay fully on her back with Alphard hovering above her, arms at each side of the now red eyed girl's head. The sudden shock had caused her synesthesia to activate of its own accord, by some subconscious command on her part. Their bodies were only inches apart, and though not actually touching, Canaan could feel the heat cover her already excited body and seep into her bones.

They stared at each other, wide eyed and breathing hard. Alphard felt completely stupid for having tripped like a moron and scolded herself for nearly falling onto Canaan and hurting her even more. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Canaan.

"I'm sorry Canaa-" Her apology was cut off by Canaan shifting up and stopping her with a kiss.

It shocked them both, Canaan even more so than Alphard, but she hadn't been able to control it. The intense emotions running through her mind and body as well as the uncontrollable fire consuming her being had taken complete control of her actions. So she did the first thing her clouded mind had thought of, she kissed Alphard.

And it wasn't just a peck or a simple gentle touch, it was a kiss filled with fire and passion. Alphard responded immediately, unable to control her own actions either. This kiss was something she had never experienced before, and she couldn't find a reason to stop.

Canaan felt Alphard lean down only low enough that their bodies were gently pressed together. The former soldier concentrated hard on keeping all of her weight off of Canaan.

Gently, almost hesitantly, Canaan moved her hand and ran her fingertips down Alphard's back, mimicking what she had seen in the movie and causing the woman on top of her to gasp and stiffen at the touch.

"Canaan…" Alphard managed to say when she was able to remove her lips from Canaan's, though she wasn't given the chance to say more before the synesthete kissed her again and silenced any other words.

Alphard was trying to think, she was trying to find a way to stop before they went too far, but suddenly two warm hands and blunt nails raking down her back chased all form of rational thought from her mind. She had no idea that Canaan even knew to do what she was doing. Her final attempt at regaining rationality completely left her when she felt Canaan's teeth graze her bottom lip.

All the while Canaan concentrated on doing everything she had seen in the movie. She curiously bit down on Alphard's lip and shivered in delight when she heard a pant leave the older woman's mouth. She knew that what she was doing must have been having a good effect of the former terrorist, or she would have pulled away already.

Feeling daring, Canaan discarded her last bit of apprehension and traced the lip she had just bitten with the tip of her tongue. This was the breaking point for Alphard, because she just couldn't control herself anymore.

Faster than a breath, Canaan felt an urgent tongue graze her own and claim her mouth. Before she could change the hand again, the lead was taken from her and Alphard was in full control.

Canaan's heart skipped a beat and her mind clouded over as the kiss deepened even more. Unsure if what was doing was right, Canaan followed Alphard's lead and their tongues danced together.

A gasp left Canaan's freed lips minutes later when she felt warm breath against her neck. It sent a wave of dizzying sensations throughout her body, but nothing prepared her for the feeling of lips, and then teeth, grazing her overly sensitive skin. Her body tingled and the fire inside of her only grew.

Alphard let her teeth graze down the length of Canaan's neck, and then let her tongue dart out and taste the salty skin of her collar bone. The excitement and desire clouded her mind almost completely, leading her to move lower down the synesthete's body until she was gently lifting the shirt and exposing Canaan's stomach.

She placed a gentle kiss against Canaan's abdomen and received a sharp intake of air from her object of desire.

Alphard moved her lips higher, placing light kisses against hot skin, keeping her eyes fixed on Canaan's flushed face.

_She's so beautiful when she's overwhelmed with sensations…_ Alphard thought, and then placed another kiss, this time lingering, on the skin just below the shirt.

Canaan thought her heart was about to burst out of her chest, it was beating so fast. She had never felt such intense feelings before, nor had she ever reacted so passionately. It was brilliant and overwhelming, almost to the point of pain, and Alphard was making her feel so much that she could hardly breathe. It all felt amazing.

Alphard rested her hand on the skin she had just recently kissed, caressing Canaan's stomach with a loving touch. She hooked her fingers underneath the rolled up shirt, brushing her fingertips against even hotter skin, just inches from Canaan's breast.

Anticipation turned into frustration when the warmth and the pressure of lips and fingers disappeared from Canaan's body. She opened her eyes in time to see a serious face appear in front of her own. Her shirt was smoothly pulled down.

"Canaan." Alphard stared into luminous red eyes with a very serious look in her grey ones. Canaan felt like crying out in frustration, but the seriousness and concern in the eyes looking at her made her stop any words from leaving her mouth other than one.

"A-Alphard?"

"You're hurt. Have you seen the dark purple bruises on your stomach and ribs?"

The mood had officially been broken. Alphard felt furious at herself for getting so caught up in her excitement that she had risked hurting Canaan. The synesthete was in no shape to do anything more strenuous than breathing. Sex at this point would certainly be more painful than pleasurable.

Canaan looked away, trying to hide her blush and the sting of tears. She knew it was childish, but she felt an overwhelming sense of rejection at Alphard's withdrawal.

"Am… am I not good enough?" The sound of dejection in Canaan's voice made Alphard's heart drop, and she silently cursed herself for letting things get this out of control.

"Canaan, look at me." Alphard pleaded, and when Canaan turned to look at her, she continued. "I can't tell you how amazing that was. I do want you Canaan, you are good enough. But you are hurt. You can barely even walk, how do you expect to do this? I can guarantee you won't be able to just lay there without moving."

Canaan looked away again. "I'm sorry." Her tears had disappeared, though the feeling of rejection remained.

"Don't be. I promise that you are good enough, the time is just not right. Get better first, okay?" Alphard said the last part in a soft tone, making Canaan turn and lock eyes with her. "I don't ever want to hurt you again." She leaned down and softly placed a kiss against Canaan's forehead, the tip of her nose, and then slowly, gently against her lips.

"Now, excuse me while I go and take a cold shower." Alphard scrambled onto her feet and hurried off to the bathroom before her companion could even reply.

Canaan watched her disappear into the passage and sighed.

_If I wasn't injured, would we really have gone all the way?_ Her mind asked itself in disappointment.

The sound of water running interrupted the musing silence, indicating that Alphard really intended on showering. She hadn't been joking.

Alphard shivered violently under the torrent of cold water and squeezed her eyes shut.

_Damnit, I was so close to actually sleeping with her. Thank goodness my senses kicked in before I got too excited and hurt her._

She released a shaky breath and leaned against the shower wall, allowing her heart and body to calm as well as cool down from the most wonderfully intense experience she had ever had.

_That damn Canaan learns too fast. What was she even thinking? Hmm, well at least she seems to observe and apply, this could benefit me..._ Alphard grinned.

She eventually shook all questionable thoughts about Canaan out of her mind and finished up in the shower.

Now refreshed and clad in black silk boxers with a black tank top, Alphard stepped into the lounge to find it empty. The blanket lay strewn across the couch and the front door was left wide open.

Alphard's mind immediately jumped to the worst possible situation, and even though her heart started racing in panic, her logic told her that there seemed to be no sign of any sort of struggle. Knowing this, Alphard still padded out of the door and onto the patio with tentative steps, keeping her senses on high alert for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was her body's uncontrollable response to possible threat, or maybe she was just getting too paranoid.

The beach was peacefully quiet, with the gentle sound of the crashing waves lending the perfect background music. A light breeze travelled across the sand and caused leaves to flutter about until they settled down, only to be disturbed once more. Down by the beach in ankle deep water stood Canaan.

The sight of her face turned upwards at the moon, bathed in its luminous light caused Alphard to pause in mid-step and stare in awe. Not only was the entire scene rapturous, but Canaan's part in it outshone the rest to Alphard's eyes.

She took a deep breath and then headed down the patio stairs onto the sand and then confidently made her way over to the synesthete that now held all her love.

Canaan looked up at the moon and tried to clear her mind of all thoughts. She felt troubled and tried to dispel any sort of negative worry from her mind. But it was difficult. It hadn't even been two days since her run in with the Snakes, and not to mention the problematic threat by Yuri. She had been so occupied with her thoughts of a certain raven-head that she had forgotten to try and work out some sort of solution to her growing pile of problems.

Deciding to talk to Alphard about all of this to ease her mind, she closed her eyes. Arms wrapped around her waist from behind and Canaan welcomed them along with the warmth of a body pressed against her back. She felt a chin rest against the top of her head and re-opened her eyes with a smile. She had to find a solution to the problems that were Yuri and the Snakes, if not for the sake of the country, then for her new found love with her taller companion.

"What brought you out here?" Alphard's smooth voice asked in a quiet whisper, as if talking louder would shatter this almost euphoric moment.

"I needed to clear my mind." The reply came just as softly and following the words Canaan wrapped her hands around both of Alphard's wrists. The skin against her fingertips felt so warm and smooth.

"What's clouding your mind that you feel the need to clear it?"

"Worries."

"And what are you worried about? The Snakes?"

"Yes, but Yuri as well."

Silence continued after that as both young women were lost in their own similar yet different thoughts.

"Are you worried that something will happen?" Alphard broke the contemplative silence.

"No, I know something is going to happen, and soon, it's like I can almost feel it. Yuri was serious when she said this isn't over, it's only time until she attacks again. This time I doubt she will listen to reason if we try to talk to her."

"Hmm, you did shoot her…"

"She won't stop until she manages to kill us."

"Then I will have to kill her first." Alphard's tone was serious enough that Canaan turned around in her embrace and look up at her face.

"But you stopped me from killing her. I thought you vowed not to kill again?"

"Canaan, I already broke that promise. Stopping you was incredibly stupid of me, and this whole peace thing is just a false illusion. I was a terrorist, which means that I am a target. Violence and death will always find me whether I look for it or not. Accepting that just makes life easier. That's the consequence of the things that I had done, and now all that is catching up to me."

"But I like who you are now, no, I _love_ who you are now." Canaan put emotional emphasis on the word 'love', looking deeply into darkened grey eyes while she did so.

"I won't kill unless I absolutely have to. Like in the case of saving someone I care about, like you. If _you_ manage to stay out of trouble, then I doubt I'll need to resort to violence again. Though, I have a sinking feeling that I will need my gun soon." Alphard moved her gaze from silver eyes to the dark horizon and pondered her new life.

Not too long ago she had been a hermit in her little beach house, barely socializing unless it was needed or when Raiden wanted company. Now she was falling back into the footsteps of her old self, all because of a certain Canaan coming back into her life. She didn't blame Canaan for having broken her code of peace, in fact, she was grateful.

Her life had become so unbalanced since she had transitioned from a violent, malevolent terrorist to a peaceful, unsociable introvert in the time span of year. It was going from one extreme to the next and that wasn't healthy.

Having her former enemy back, being forced to open up that door she had chained shut inside of her own heart, falling in love; it had all given her a sense of balance. She was Alphard, after all. She would always be able to pull the trigger, but now there were exceptions. Killing wouldn't fill her with guilt unless it was an innocent life she had taken, that much was fact.

She had changed for the most part, but Alphard would always still be part of who she used to be.

Alphard looked back at Canaan and tilted her chin upwards, smiling when Canaan's eyes filled with worry. She had been silent for a while now due to her torrent of thoughts.

"Thank you, Canaan, my love." The endearment slipped out before she could control it, and once it was out, Alphard didn't want to take it back.

"For?" There was a noticeable blush across Canaan's cheeks at having been called by a pet name, though her heart warmed at the words.

Alphard failed to answer in words. She just smiled and leaned down, bringing her lips close to the synesthete's, but not touching. She was feeling happy and free, like she had been freed from an unending darkness that had still haunted her even after she had torn herself from its grasp.

Their heartbeats sped up at the close proximity of their lips, that Alphard still kept achingly close. Canaan didn't want this to end, enjoying the time and meaning of the moment.

Alphard finally touched her lips to Canaan's, but kept it feather light and fleeting. The contact only lasted a second before Alphard moved her lips away, causing Canaan to whimper in frustration. This made the taller of the two chuckle. Relenting, she finally swooped down and lovingly captured those soft pouting lips in her own. Canaan leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Alphard's neck, pulling them closer and effectively trapping the raven-head there. Even though she was smaller, Canaan was still incredibly strong.

Somehow they had ended up on the ground, Alphard on her back with Canaan on top of her. Neither had even noticed the fall.

All Canaan could comprehend was the burning desire and the overflowing love in her heart. The kiss had changed from loving to passionately fiery, and soon Canaan had her hands under Alphard's shirt, stroking her smooth stomach. The desire to affirm their love physically was uncontrollable, causing both of their minds to shut down for the moment.

Alphard moaned against Canaan's mouth, feeling her skin tingle where ever the synesthete touched her. She reciprocated the attention and trailed her hand down Canaan's side until her fingertips grazed against warm, quivering skin.

Canaan gasped and opened blazing red eyes. The colour of love was all she could see and she felt like she was on sensory overload. She couldn't shut her synesthesia off and soon stopped trying. Every little touch was agonizingly pleasurable, even if it was barely even a caress.

Feeling adrenalin pumping through her veins, Alphard broke the kiss and moved her lips across Canaan's neck, where she bit down hard enough to elicit a gasp of surprise and enjoyment, but not one of pain. With lightning speed that only a hormone high could give, Alphard flipped them over so that she was hovering over Canaan. She shot forward and hungrily kissed Canaan again while she gripped the edge of her shirt in a vice like grip. The sound of material didn't even register to the two as Alphard tore the shirt with her bare hands.

It tore all the way through the middle, successfully falling away from Canaan's heaving chest.

Alphard breathed hard as she moved from Canaan's lips and started kissing down the curve of her neck. She alternated from kissing to biting every few seconds, grinning internally at the colourful sounds coming from the younger girl.

When she reached the softness of the synesthete's cleavage, her pulse jumped.

Alphard caressed Canaan's stomach with her one hand, continued her love bites on sensitive skin, and with her free hand she covered Canaan's breast atop the fabric of the black bra she still wore.

Canaan cried out, but not in pleasure, this time in pain. In an instant Alphard recoiled and sat up in a panic.

"Shit, Canaan, I'm so sorry!"

The synesthete had a look of pain on her face. She had her hands pressed to her ribs, the skin on them still dark with horrible bruises.

Alphard waited for Canaan to relax her tense muscles before she spoke again.

"We got carried away again. I think we should really try our best not to touch each other until those bruises go away. Come here, I'll carry you into the house."

Before Canaan could protest and say that she was fine with walking, the raven-head had already pulled her into her arms and stood. The synesthete just sighed, closed her eyes and rested her head against Alphard's neck. She could still feel the throbbing pulse there, and realized her own heart was still racing.

The cool air brushed against her exposed skin, causing Canaan to shiver.

_When did she rip my shirt open? How did she even manage that?_ Canaan glanced up at Alphard's calm expression. There was no doubt that she was upset about getting so distracted that she ended up hurting her ribs, but she still looked flushed and there was a hint of a smug grin at her lips.

_Heh, guess she's stronger than I thought._

* * *

Phew, is it hot in here, or is it just me? ;D


	15. Chapter 15: The Dolphin's Cry

Author's note: Hello all of you beautiful people ^^ Here's the next chapter. Before I say anything more, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed or even just read this story of mine. Thank you, really. So, about this chapter, will it give in to the passionate desire of our favourite couple, or will I tease you all some more? Read on and see XD, enjoy! (Song by Live)

Chapter 15: The Dolphin's Cry

* * *

"_Oh yeah, we meet again. It's like we never left; time in between was just a dream, did we leave this place? This crazy fog surrounds me, you wrap your legs around me, all I can do to try and breathe. Let me breathe so that I, so we can go together!"_

* * *

The rest of the night was tense. Canaan and Alphard were feeling the effects of built up excitement with no release. They tried not to touch too intimately, afraid that the contact would trigger some sort of make out attack and Canaan would end up getting hurt again.

After being carried into the house, Alphard helped her down onto the couch and then went into the synesthete's room to retrieve a new shirt for her.

_I tore her short… with my bare hands…_

Even though the mentioned shirt, and the evidence of its destruction, was in her hand and before her eyes, she still struggled to believe it.

_I get dangerous when I'm turned on out of my mind… is Canaan safe with me?_

She sighed in resignation but couldn't help a devilish grin from forming on her face.

_I've still got my Alphard mojo_.

She grinned proudly all the way to the lounge, and only hid it when Canaan gave her a raised brow. Weak light began filtering in through the lounge window, indicating that morning was fast approaching. _Geez, how long were we out there for?_

"Canaan, is there anything you need?" Alphard headed over to the island counter to get her black jacket that she quickly slipped on.

"Where are you going?" Canaan asked and eyed Alphard's outfit, or lack thereof. She was still just in her boxers and tank top.

"To Raiden," Alphard disappeared into the passage and then reappeared a moment later, this time with black jeans and boots on. "And then we'll head to town to do some shopping. We're nearly out of food. Will you be okay on your own?" As she spoke she grabbed her phone off of the counter and slipped it into her pocket while she walked over and crouched down in front of Canaan.

"I'll be fine. Maybe I'll watch a few movies while you're gone." The worry on Alphard's face made the silver eyed girl smile. She leaned forward and placed a kiss against her love's forehead. The tenderness of it made Alphard blush. "I'm Canaan, I've got synesthesia, remember? Has the domestic lifestyle messed with your memory?" Canaan joked with a grin.

Alphard thought for a moment, and then gave Canaan a quick kiss on the cheek before she stood and went over to the door. "Bye!" As she closed it behind her, she couldn't help but wonder if she really had become too domestic. Deciding to throw that thought out of the window, Alphard set off in the direction of her friend's house.

In no time she was knocking on the door. When no answer came Alphard was forced to bang on the door like a maniac until the sound of footsteps indicated signs of life.

"Yes?" Raiden said slowly after opening the door and leaning against the door frame, arms and ankles crossed, eyeing her friend with an amused grin.

"Morning. I came to visit."

"Oh?" The red head looked past Alphard, searching the area and coming up empty. "No lady trouble with you? Is she okay?"

"Yeah she's fine. I just needed a breather from… stuff. Anyway, I need to buy some groceries and I was wondering if you would come with me?"

"Sure. Come inside so we can talk about your problematic almost sex life over a cup of coffee." Raiden stepped back from the door and allowed Alphard in, not missing the glare the raven-head directed her way.

_Of course she would know, she always knows. Now I just hope she isn't an ass about this or I will really punch her,_ Alphard thought as she stepped into the house and followed Raiden into her beautiful lounge. They sat down on the soft couch with a cup of hot coffee in their hands. At first neither said a word, merely sitting in silence and enjoying the company.

Even though Alphard considered assassinating Raiden most of the time, and Raiden tended to be a bit insensitive in her teasing and jokes, they both valued the friendship they had. No one else could really be as close to them as they were to each other, with the consideration of their past.

Alphard having been a terrorist and Raiden a merciless assassin in Japan, they both shared tragic and violent pasts. Much like her tall friend, Raiden had been trained at an early age to wield a gun, thrust a knife and take a life. By the time she hit early adulthood, the energetic red head was the deadliest assassin in Japan.

Many hired her to kill off politicians, cheating spouses, hated bosses, and even important business people. Raiden had never cared who she had to kill, it was merely a job that she did to the best of her ability. Money had never been a problem, as she was paid in abundance, but Raiden had always felt hollow inside. A deep aching hole right in the centre of her being.

Then one day, 3 years and 4 months ago to be exact, Raiden found her salvation.

She had been hired to kill the wife of a rich businessman, and accepted without evening blinking twice. She planned the operation, prepared herself and proceeded to do her job. But what she hadn't been expecting was the woman's 3 year old daughter. After killing the wife in a silent struggle with her sharpest blade, a little girl with long brown hair dishevelled and messy from sleep stepped into the room just as her mother took her last breath.

The logical thing to do should have been to escape before the girl could see her face, but Raiden couldn't. She felt like her feet were glued to the floor.

The little girl called out to her mother, tears forming in her eyes. She ran over and fell down beside the lifeless woman, crying out for her to wake up.

Raiden could only stand there and watch while her blade filled hand trembled. A painfully vivid memory of a 3 year old Raiden crying over her dead mother's body consumed the red head's mind. It felt like that night in her past was repeating itself, but instead of her being the little girl crying for the loss of her mother, she was the murderer watching her victim.

Only when the sound of stealthy footsteps echoing from outside did Raiden snap out of her haze and back to full attention. There shouldn't have been anyone home; her employer had made it clear that the husband would be out until the next night.

A feeling of dread grabbed at Raiden's heart and she quickly grabbed the little girl and crouched down behind the counter. She placed a hand over the girl's mouth and ignored her struggling and the weak pressure of her bite. Something wasn't right about this.

And as Raiden expected, everything went to hell.

From outside bullets started raining in through the back door and the windows. Almost instantly Raiden realized that she had been lead into a trap. With the girl still held securely in her arms Raiden managed to escape and ran as far away from that place as she could.

Though risky, she decided to call the man who had hired her. When he had answered and heard her voice, he sounded surprised. Most probably because of the fact that she was still alive. He had agreed to meet her to apologise in person for the supposed 'leak' of information that nearly had her killed.

Raiden knew to distrust him, and went to meet him that night. She still had the girl with her as she didn't know what to do with her and couldn't bring herself to just leave her alone in the middle of the night in the street. So she took her with to meet the man that had hired her.

When they got there Raiden stayed in the shadows. She was about to tell the girl to stay quite when one word from the child made everything fall into place. "Daddy."

The man, who had hired her to kill a business man's wife, was in fact the husband himself.

Raiden approached him with the little girl walking slightly behind her. She acted as though she knew nothing of his attempt at her life.

At first he acted relieved and apologetic, but when he took notice of his daughter he decided to drop the act. He confessed to accepting money from a high up leader to put his family in danger to catch the notorious assassin. His own family had been used as bait, and apparently he had expected Raiden to kill his daughter. That would leave him free to flee the country with his millions and live a luxurious life on some island.

Raiden had remained silently furious throughout the man's whole prideful speech. The little girl had tried to break free of Raiden's grasp and run to her father, until he pulled out a gun and pointed it at them. Instinctively Raiden pulled the girl behind her, who stopped struggling and realized in her young developing mind that her daddy was no longer her daddy.

Raiden killed him that night and escaped with the girl. Later Raiden managed to get her to tell her name.

Kaedin.

For the first few months Kaedin stayed with Raiden while the assassin used all of her resources to try and find a relative to send the girl to, but she found none. Having grown close after Kaedin's understanding and forgiving Raiden for the death of her mother, the red head decided to let Kaedin stay with her.

Slowly over the course of a year, Raiden stopped killing people for money and spent more time in raising Kaedin, even though she knew nothing of raising a 3 year old child. Somehow they managed, and grew a strong bond.

At the age of 5, Kaedin had matured at an incredible rate. She no longer cried and always tried to stay strong and tough like Raiden, who she had started looking up to.

After raising Kaedin for 2 years, Raiden was contacted by a relative of the girl. An aunt, who had been separated from the family for some time, found out about the incident and begged Raiden for her niece back.

They parted, and though it broke Raiden's heart to lose the one joy in her life, she was glad that Kaedin was given a second chance at a happy and normal life.

At first Kaedin had fought her aunt and refused to be separated from her former guardian, but after Raiden spoke to her and explained that it was best, she accepted it. Raiden had promised to visit as much as possible, and in return Kaedin's aunt promised to send pictures of Kaedin as she grew and matured. The day after leaving her young companion behind, Raiden fled Japan and wound up in South Africa. She decided to start a new life and finally managed to fill that hole inside of her heart, all thanks to a little girl. And even though she had taken so much away from that girl, she had received so much in return. As ironic as it was, Raiden remained forever grateful.

That had been a year and 8 months ago.

"So Al, Kiri sent new pictures this morning." Raiden looked to her friend and smiled.

"Oh! I wonder how big Kaedin is now. Can I see them?" Alphard knew the whole story in detail. They were friends after all, and had bonded because of the tragedies they had faced.

"Of course." Raiden went to fetch her laptop and then returned a moment later. She sat down beside her friend and opened the email Kiri, Kaedin's aunt, had sent to her a few hours ago.

"She's still as cute as ever." Raiden commented with a smile of pride.

The picture they were looking at was of Kaedin sleeping on a couch. The now 7 year old had a soft smile on her face as well as a look of peace.

They took a moment to go through all the pictures and laughed over a few stories Raiden told of the time she had looked after the little girl.

As time tends to do when you're distracted, early morning passed and 10AM approached. Alphard and Raiden left the beach and went to the nearby shops.

They walked around in silence, and only when Alphard was paying for her groceries did Raiden decide to start conversation.

"Al, do you think you'll ever have kids?"

Alphard paused in her exchange with the cashier to give Raiden a horrified look.

"Me? Getting pregnant? Never." The cashier stifled a grin and processed the slip for the purchased items; meanwhile Raiden sighed and leaned towards Alphard.

"No, you idiot. With Canaan and you being…. Well, together? You could always decide to have kids. She could carry them?" This time the young girl smiled at the shocked expression on her customer's face, and at the grin on the red head's.

"Canaan and I having kids? We're barely even together Rai, and I don't know if Canaan is even able to. Not that I'd ever consider it." Alphard said goodbye to the friendly cashier and grabbed her multitude of shopping bags. Raiden grabbed the few that Alphard couldn't carry and followed her friend out to her car. Once inside, Raiden strapped her seatbelt in and turned towards her friend.

"Why not?"

Alphard didn't look at her, instead she raised her hands palm up and looked at them with a serious expression.

"Hands like these, that have killed and hurt, are not capable of protecting or even holding something so helpless and precious." Alphard's cold tone, as well as the intense expression, made Raiden regret her line of questioning.

"Alright, if you think so. Though you have the right mind set there." To ease the tension Raiden offered a wide grin, feeling relieved when it was returned with a smaller one.

They passed idle chatter as Raiden drove to Alphard's stop. Since her house was so far off the road didn't reach it and could only be reached on foot, so the two parked Raiden's car and began the trek back.

Once they arrived, Raiden spared a quick hello to Canaan and then left.

"Uh, Alphard…" Canaan stood from her place on the couch and hesitantly walked over to where Alphard was putting things away in the kitchen.

"Mm?" Alphard responded absentmindedly while packing some boxes in the bottom cupboards and then putting the last few items in the fridge. Canaan was standing by the island counter, leaning against it with her back and looking down at the floor. When Alphard finally gave Canaan her full attention, she noticed the synesthete had a fierce blush across her cheeks.

"Canaan? Are you okay?" She stepped up to the blushing girl and placed a hand against her forehead, feeling the skin grow hotter under her touch. She replaced her hand with her lips and noticed that Canaan's face was burning. "You're burning up, are you sick?"

Canaan felt her heart beat erratically in her chest. The burn on her face had worsened the moment she felt soft lips press against her forehead.

"No, I'm not sick. It's just… um… Alphard?" Canaan's voice held a tint of urgency.

Instead of replying Alphard moved her face in front of Canaan's so that they could look into each other's eyes. When Canaan diverted her eyes, Alphard started worrying.

"Canaan? I'm getting worried here. What's wrong?" She cupped Canaan's cheek in her hand and forced the synesthete to look at her.

_Oh God, why is this so hard to say? I feel so incredibly embarrassed. Her hand is so warm, it's hard to concentrate… her lips are even warmer, and softer, and… No! Concentrate. You're on a mission, Canaan, make it a success!_ As Canaan traded an inner dialogue with herself, Alphard watched with impatience.

"If you don't spit it out then I'll be forced to punish you."

Canaan snapped to attention and turned wide eyes to Alphard. "Punish me?" Alphard nodded and let a devilish grin spread across her face.

"If you're not sick or hurt, and you're okay, then you are leaving me in suspense." While saying this Alphard wrapped an arm around Canaan's waist, pulled her firmly against her own body and then pressed Canaan against the counter behind her. "So?"

Canaan could only shiver. The beating of her heart was drowning out any other sound besides that and Alphard's breathing.

"I… um…"

"You?" Alphard's tone came out teasing, taunting. She had a grin to match too.

"Well, I…"

"Canaan, Canaan, punishment remember?" Alphard said and leaned forward, bringing her lips close to Canaan's, but not touching.

"Tell me, my love."

Now Canaan was blushing fiercely again, just as her cheeks had almost started losing its shade of red. The white haired girl squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward, closing the gap between their lips.

"Nuh-uh Canaan, no reward yet." Alphard had moved back just as Canaan had leaned forward, frustrating the synesthete even more.

_If I say it then she'll stop teasing me like this, __and I really like it. H__mmm. Alright, I've decided._ Canaan couldn't help a sly smile from appearing but quickly stifled it when Alphard raised a curious brow.

"Oh? Something you find amusing? And you still haven't told me what it is you need to say." Alphard moved her hand and caressed Canaan's cheek with her fingertips. Canaan shivered in delight at the pleasant tingle the touch caused on her skin.

"Alphard... I..." Canaan feigned shyness and looked away, nearly smiling in triumph when she felt Alphard trail her fingers down the side of her neck, and then replace those digits with her soft, warm lips.

"Spit it out Canaan, I'm getting impatient."

"I..." Canaan's mind started fogging up as her body grew hotter. Having Alphard this close, and those lips on her neck felt like heaven. How did Alphard expect her to think while exciting her so much?

"Not good." Alphard said in a mock displeased voice, followed by her teeth gently nipping at sensitive skin. Canaan couldn't control it; she moaned.

"I..."

"What happened to your voice, Canaan? Can't say what's on your mind?" The biting turned from gentle pressure to teeth biting down hard. It was enough to hurt, but it hurt in a good way.

"I just..."

"You just...?" The raven-head could feel Canaan's rapid pulse against her lips and struggled to control her own breathing. This whole idea was fast taking an intense turn.

"I w-want to tell you something..." Canaan pulled Alphard harder against her, but gasped when she was lifted and placed on the table. Following Canaan's new position, Alphard leaned forward and captured her lips. It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen.

Alphard's tongue dominated Canaan's mouth, exploring in flourish.

The kiss was too intense. Alphard wanted more, she needed more, but she had to stop. She couldn't let herself lose control and possibly rip Canaan's clothes off again. The former terrorist broke the kiss and pulled back, but found Canaan following her and kissing her once more. The synesthete was obviously as excited as she was, but Alphard couldn't lose control of the situation.

She allowed Canaan's lips to move with her own for a few seconds more, and then placed her hands on either side of the red eyed girl's face and gently pushed her back.

"Canaan, no... We..." Unexpectedly, Canaan pushed Alphard down onto the floor and sat down on top her stomach. The taller of the two recovered from the fall in seconds and widened her eyes as she watched Canaan lift her shirt to reveal her muscled abdomen.

"Alphard, I'm healed."

"But... How?"

It was true. The once badly bruised skin was now completely clear. Any evidence of having been kicked in the ribs was completely gone. All that was left was smooth, soft skin that caused Alphard to gulp.

"I don't know. Because of all the times we had to stop, I really wanted to heal. It was all I could think about, and then just before you came back I noticed that my ribs weren't aching anymore. When I checked I saw that I was completely healed. Here, feel." Canaan lifted Alphard's hands and placed them against her ribs, right below the rolled up shirt that revealed the edge of her bra.

Alphard tested the skin by running her fingers over the warm surface, gently at first and then firmer as Canaan's expression remained the same. At first Alphard remained silent, realizing what this new discovery meant. Now that she could get what she wanted, she didn't know how to proceed.

But soon she decided to abandon thinking and just attacked Canaan. It was an attack more than anything, because she suddenly pushed Canaan down onto her back and kissed her with uncontrolled passion.

She pulled Canaan's shirt off, which was soon followed by the bra. In an equally urgent state, Canaan pulled at Alphard's clothes until most of them landed on the floor with a muted thud. Now almost completely naked, Canaan and Alphard paused their heavy making out and looked into each other's eyes.

Alphard only had one thought on her mind.

"Bed. Now." She didn't even wait for a response as she pulled Canaan up with her and half dragged, half carried her to the room.

Alphard pushed Canaan down onto the bed, who landed on her back, and slowly crawled on top of her.

Any last bit of clothing concealing their skin was removed and discarded, but this time in a much less frenzied fashion.

"Canaan," Alphard raised her body above Canaan's and looked down at her with all the emotion in her heart. "You are so beautiful." This earned her a warm smile from Canaan, and then Alphard was pulled down onto her body.

Feeling their naked skin finally making full contact, both women's breathing fastened.

They kissed again, slower, more passionate and love filled. Canaan caressed Alphard's strong back and felt a hand run through her hair.

When breathing became difficult task due to the lack of oxygen, Alphard moved her lips from Canaan's to trail them down her neck. She followed this action by moving her leg and placing a thigh between Canaan's.

The girl below her gasped at the feel of Alphard's strong thigh pressing against her burning centre.

"Alphard."

"Yes, Canaan?" Alphard started moving her thigh against Canaan, creating a slow, pleasurable rhythm. Canaan moaned and pulled Alphard's face back up towards her own. They kissed again, all the while Alphard moving into Canaan and causing her to gasp and whimper.

"I love you, Alphard. I love you so much." Canaan's nails dug into Alphard's back.

"I love you too Canaan, more than I can ever express. But I'll try to show you." Following her words, Alphard snaked a hand down Canaan's stomach until she reached an abundant wetness.

Canaan gasped and looked at Alphard with fear in her eyes. "Alphard, I... This is my first time..." She looked away in shame.

"Mine too."

Canaan snapped her attention back to Alphard and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Really?"

"It's the truth. This is my first time too. Do you trust me?"

Canaan nodded, outwardly smiling in joy at this new revelation. She had always assumed that Alphard, being Alphard, had been with many people throughout her years with the Snakes. Being wrong had never made her happier.

"I do. Make me yours."

"Be mine forever?"

"Yes, forever."

Canaan arched her back as Alphard entered her, moments later sealing their promise with a kiss.

Hours later, after finally showing their love physically and releasing all of their pent up tension, Alphard and Canaan lay exhausted in bed.

"Hey, Canaan." Alphard spoke up after wondering about something.

Canaan looked up from her spot against Alphard's side and gave the dark haired woman a loving gaze.

"Mm?" She smiled when she felt fingers caressing circles on her back.

"What did you want to tell me before we made love?"

Canaan rested her chin against Alphard's chest and regarded her with a lazy smile.

"I just wanted to say that I missed you."

"Really? That was all?" Alphard couldn't help but chuckle. "All that and you just wanted to tell me something I already knew. Why did you struggle so much?"

"Well..." Canaan looked away, not wanting to let Alphard see the smile on her face.

"Tell me." Alphard continued her loving caresses against her lover's smooth back, and waited for said lover to answer her.

"If I told you then you would have stopped teasing me, and I was really enjoying it."

The caressing stopped.

"So you acted all shy and flustered?"

"Mmhmm."

There was a long moment of silence before Alphard decided to respond. She pounced on Canaan and started ticking her like the merciless lover she was.

Canaan gasped and laughed, begging Alphard to stop.

"Alphard! No, don't, please! I'm sorry! I give, stop!"

"That's what you get for making me all suspense filled like that."

Canaan let out one last giggle as Alphard relented and stopped the movement of her fingers. She kept them pressed against Canaan's sides, though.

Their new position caused both of them to fall silent. Canaan was on her back with Alphard sitting on top of her.

"Canaan." Alphard said with a teasing voice and a sensual grin. "Time for your real punishment."

And with that Alphard kissed Canaan again, and soon they were making love for the fifth time that day.

_I could get used to this punishment_, Canaan thought and arched her body into the one on top of her. _I should be naughty more often_.

* * *

Did you like it? Let me know your thoughts on my story so far, I'd really appreciate some insightful feedback. Until the next chapter, dear readers '\'(^^)'/'


	16. Chapter 16: Die Another Day

Author's Note: I finally got this chapter finished, yay ^^ I greatly enjoyed it, so I hope you all do too. Enjoy, and let me know what you think ^^ (Song by Madonna)

Chapter 16: Die Another Day

* * *

"_For every sin, I'll have to pay. I've come to work, I've come to play. I think I'll find another way; it's not my time to go. I'm gonna avoid the cliché, I'm gonna suspend my senses, I'm gonna delay my pleasure, I'm gonna close my body now. I guess I'll die another day."_

* * *

Heartbeats matched in rhythm, breaths mingled and souls merged into one. Cries of passion filled the air, followed by whispered words of love. Heated skin grazed, sweat slicked bodies moved together. They fit so perfectly, so completely, like they had been made as one but split into two at birth.

White hair tangled in black, silver eyes locked onto darkened blue. It was a moment of intensity they had resisted, and then given into. Neither had expected the passion of their love.

Together they had reached heights only the other could have taken them to, and though it felt like minutes, hours later two bodies collapsed in a tangled heap atop a comfortable bed. Unconsciousness took them just as the sun began to peak out over the horizon.

Canaan lay on top of Alphard, resting her head against the dark haired woman's shoulder. She held onto her lover's hand with her own, keeping their fingers tightly intertwined and resting on top of the former terrorist's stomach.

Though Alphard was fast asleep, Canaan was awake. She had woken not too long after the sun had properly risen, and decided to just lay there and enjoy the warmth of the naked body she was resting against.

_This feels so incredibly amazing… last night was… beyond words. So that is how sex is… I always wondered, but I never expected it to be that wonderful. Didn't someone tell me at some stage that the first time is always the worst? That person obviously didn't have such a skilled, though inexperienced, lover that I have. _

Canaan sighed and nuzzled her face into Alphard's neck, feeling the steady pulse there. Her heart felt so full of love that it was ready to burst or possibly even light on fire with the heat of it. Her whole chest as well as her body felt so hot that it was almost uncomfortable.

Time sped by as Canaan cuddled against her lover, not aware of the amount of minutes that had passed until she felt her body pillow stir. She looked up at Alphard's face to be met with a dazzling smile.

"Good morning, you." Alphard greeted her current human blanket and leaned forward, stealing a sweet morning kiss. Canaan's eyes fluttered closed the moment Alphard's lips pressed against her own. The kiss was only meant to last a few seconds but ended up lasting minutes and deepening.

Alphard, in the heat of the moment, felt fully awake and excited enough to flip Canaan onto her back and pin her arms above her head. She leaned down again and started ravishing her lips, her heart increasing its beat with the feverish movement of their lips.

The raven-head placed both of Canaan's wrists in one hand and trailed the free one down her captive's chest. She traced a finger around the curve of a soft breast and then ran that same finger down the synesthete's bare stomach right to the bottom of her abdomen. Just as Alphard was about to feel the wet result of her actions, their bedroom door burst open.

"Al, Canaan, time to get- OH MY GOD!" Raiden froze halfway through the door, gaping at the two obviously naked women under the covers. Alphard still had her hand poised between Canaan's legs, while the white haired girl was blushing and struggling to free herself from the awkward position.

"Raiden." Alphard spoke in a calm, deadly voice. She kept her gaze focused on her blushing love, so as not to attack Raiden that very second.

"Oh!" Raiden's eyes widened for a second, and then her face changed and she gave the couple a naughty smirk. "I see what's happening here. Sorry for interrupting you! Carry on, I'll just acquaint myself with the fridge. Don't worry about me, just focus on reaching the climax of this meeting." Raiden winked and then shut the door quickly, saving herself from being hit in the face with a shoe.

The mood was officially broken. Alphard sighed and returned to her spot on top of Canaan, who had managed to rid herself of the embarrassed blush adorning her face and offered her dark love a wry smile.

"She sure is brave." Canaan commented with a glance at the door. They could hear noises coming from the kitchen, as well as Raiden cursing out to no one but herself.

"She sure is an idiot." Alphard grumbled in response.

Canaan took one look at her lover's face and burst into a fit of laughter. This made Alphard look away with a pout. She didn't like being laughed at.

"This isn't funny." Alphard climbed out of bed but Canaan grabbed a hold of her leg and tried to pull her back into the warmth of the blanket.

"No Alphard don't leave," she giggled again but tried her best to stifle it when her girlfriend's pout only deepened. "Don't leave, please. I'll stop laughing." Canaan regained control of her laughter and looked at Alphard with a serious expression. Alphard had one leg out of bed and a foot already on the ground with the other stuck under the blanket in Canaan's arms, and when she looked to her younger girlfriend again and saw the stifled laughter there, she huffed in embarrassment.

"No you won't. Let me go."

Canaan shook her head and refused to let go, so Alphard was left with no choice. She used all of her strength and pulled her captured limb out from under the blanket. Being attached to the leg, Canaan ended up being pulled out of the bed with it. They both cried out in surprise and fell down beside the bed, but luckily Alphard cushioned Canaan's fall with her body.

"Alphard, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Canaan frantically looked her love's body up and down for any injuries. When Alphard appeared woundless, she returned her gaze to now amuse filled eyes.

"You are so damn cute, Canaan." Alphard sat up and wrapped her arms around Canaan's bare body. She stood up a moment later and then gently pushed the synesthete against the wall, pining her against it with her slightly larger body.

"A-Alphard." Canaan gulped and shivered when teeth grazed against her throat.

"Canaan," Alphard said in a low breath, teasing Canaan's flushed skin with her lips. "As much as I'd love to ravish you again, I should go and check on that idiot in the lounge." Alphard pressed a knee between Canaan's legs, using enough force to lift Canaan from the floor. The flustered girl whimpered at the action and dug her nails into strong, muscled shoulders.

"I'll take a shower and then meet up with you." Canaan replied breathlessly. She got her revenge by raking her nails down Alphard's back, causing the dark haired woman to arch her body into her and growl in her ear. Before her hormones could take over, Alphard removed her leg which put Canaan back onto the ground, and went over to her cupboard. She changed into a pair of shorts, a sports bra and a white t-shirt.

"See you in a few minutes." She gave Canaan one more passionate kiss and then left the room and made her way to the living room to see what her red headed friend had done to her house. Canaan sighed in both frustration and happiness. She shook her head to clear it of questionable thoughts of her new lover, and then went into the bathroom to take a nice cold shower.

Meanwhile, Alphard and Raiden were sitting across from each other on the island counter, locked in a dangerous glare. The threat in the raven-head's eyes made a shiver run down the red head's spine, and that was difficult to accomplish.

"So tell me, is she good in bed?" Raiden boldly broke the silence and leaned forward towards her death glaring friend. Alphard gave her a long, hard stare before she opened her mouth to reply.

"Better than you can imagine." Her upset expression turned into a smug one, and her frown turned into a rakish grin. Raiden expected her friend to reply this way, after all, she almost knew Alphard better than anyone.

"I knew it! How did it happen?" Raiden returned Alphard's smirk with one of her own, and leaned closer to the former soldier when Alphard beckoned for her to lean closer. Alphard leaned forward until her lips were right beside Raiden's ear.

"That's none of your business." Alphard said loudly, causing Raiden to jump in surprise, and smacked her upside the head.

"Ouch." Raiden sat back and rubbed the sore spot at the back of her head. Alphard always hit her so damn hard whenever she resorted to such punishment.

_I guess I did deserve it, but still, god damnit that hurt,_ Raiden thought to herself.

Before either of them could continue with their amusing conversation, the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air ended the teasing mood. Both former mercenaries only had seconds to react before bullets ripped through the walls.

Alphard and Raiden both shot down onto the floor and covered their heads, only looking back out from their arms when the shooting stopped minutes later and the helicopter disappeared into the horizon.

Before she could wonder why this had happened, Alphard only let one thought cross her mind.

"Canaan!" She called out and shot up from the floor and towards her room. By the sound of it, the helicopter had shot through the whole right side of the house, including Alphard's bedroom. "Canaan! Canaan!" Alphard called out hysterically, feeling her heart race in panic.

She burst into her room and looked around with frantic eyes, breathing hard. The room was silent until a soft noise sounded from around the side of the bed. Alphard stepped forward, fearing what she might see. She nearly stopped completely when she saw the figure of her Canaan lying on the floor.

_God no, no, no, no, no! Please, don't let it be._

With her heart in her throat, Alphard rushed to Canaan's side and pulled the girl into her arms. She felt incredible relief wash through her when a pair of tensed arms wrapped around her neck and held onto her with almost painful force.

"I'm okay Alphard, I'm fine." Though she sounded calm, Canaan was shaking inside. Being shot at wasn't new to her, though she had almost forgotten what it felt like because of her recently peaceful life. Knowing that Alphard was being shot at and could have possibly been killed had sent Canaan into a panic. She wanted to run from the room to her love's side, but she had been trapped on the floor thanks to the shower of bullets entering in through the wall and window.

"Canaan, I nearly had a heart attack." Alphard let all the fear and panic show in her voice, wanting the white haired synesthete to understand how much she cared for her.

"Is Raiden okay?" Canaan asked, closing her eyes and the comforting feel of confident fingers running through her hair. Alphard didn't respond, instead she moved her fingers down to the back of Canaan's neck and pulled her face closer to her own, kissing her gently on the lips.

"Let's go and see if she's okay, but I'm sure she is. Raiden used to be a highly trained assassin, after all." Alphard answered after she had pulled back from the kiss and stood up from the ground. She hugged Canaan for a long moment, memorizing the warmth and solid feel of the younger girl's body against her own.

"I love you Canaan, I really love you so much." The heavy emotion in her voice caused Canaan's heart to jump.

"I love you too Alphard, with all my heart." They embraced for a moment more, and then went to the living room to see how Raiden was doing.

The red head was crouched by the front door, a gun in her hand and an intensely focused look on her face. Her eyes were darting back and forth, the look in them calculated and thoughtful.

Alphard instinctively recognized the stance and ducked down as well. She and Canaan went over to Raiden's side and shared questioning looks with her.

"The helicopter is gone but a boat is coming this way. They don't look friendly." Raiden answered their silent question and inclined her head towards the shore. Sure enough, a small speed boat filled with men holding guns was headed right towards them.

"They've got killing intent." Canaan added, observing the intense blue colours of the men on the boat. Both Alphard and Raiden turned to Canaan to see her eyes ablaze with red and focused on the horizon.

"We need to leave. Raiden, take Canaan with you and make your way to your house. Take an untouched route through the trees and stay quiet."

"Alphard, I'm not going to leave you."

"Just go, my love. I want to get something. I will only take a minute and then I'll catch up."

"I can't leave you."

"Trust me." Alphard looked to Raiden, who nodded in acceptance at her new mission and placed a hand on Canaan's shoulder.

"Alphard will be fine, we should go. Now."

"Canaan," Alphard pulled Canaan close and captured her lips for a quick kiss. "I love you. Now go, I'll be with you in a moment." She placed another kiss against the synesthete's forehead and then disappeared into the passage.

"Come on." Raiden pulled Canaan with her, who reluctantly sighed and followed her out through the door and around the house into the woods.

They stayed quiet as they snuck around the trees towards Raiden's side of the beach. Canaan kept her synesthesia on to detect any sign of enemies following them, and to see when Alphard would appear as well.

Raiden had her ability active as well, opening her senses up to any gentle shift in emotion or thought to alert her of danger. Together, they were the perfect stealth team. They continued walking until Canaan slowed down and nearly stopped. Her red headed companion slowed down too and looked over at her to see what was wrong. She didn't need to ask though, because she could feel everything.

"Canaan, Al is okay. She's more badass than you give her credit for."

"I know." Canaan replied in a serious tone, running her eyes over the area behind them. A spark of colour caused her to freeze on the spot. "Raiden." Canaan whispered nearly too softly for the former assassin to hear, but Raiden was trained well. Thanks to her ability she was also able to sense the reason for Canaan's pause.

In the distance, a figure approached, ablaze with blue and dripping with malice.

The two shrunk back, melting into the silence. The figure moved silently, moving closer until the two tensed up upon hearing footsteps.

The man took tentative steps forward with his gun held firmly in front of him. He stopped walking a few feet away from the motionless women behind a tree, and listened.

There was no sound other than nature around them and the man's labored breath.

Canaan feared that the intense beating of her heart would be audible enough for the man to hear and felt the urge to shut her eyes to concentrate on calming the erratic organ, but she couldn't close them. She had to remain focused and alert for any other enemies close by. Unfortunately, the man decided to walk in their direction.

He walked softly, looking all around for any signs of his target, and when he got closer he paused. There was a long stretch of silence before Raiden and Canaan heard a loud thump followed by a sickening crunch, and then a hard thud.

Canaan didn't want to risk peering around the tree to see what had happened, so she turned to Raiden. The red head had her eyes closed in obvious concentration, and when she opened them a second later she smiled in relief and pushed away from the tree. Before Canaan could react she felt arms wrap around her torso and pull her backwards.

"Shh, it's me." Alphard whispered into Canaan's ear, feeling the synesthete relax against her body after recognizing her voice. "They're searching the area. We should hide until they leave. Rai?" Alphard spoke softly and turned to her friend.

"They have the area surrounded. Hiding is our only option." Raiden agreed and looked around for a good place to sit and wait.

"Follow me." Alphard intertwined her fingers with Canaan's and then pulled her along to a hidden path that they followed. Both synesthetes were on high alert the whole way.

"Where are we going?" Canaan asked in a whisper and surveyed the area around them again.

"Just wait." Alphard replied and carried on walking for a minute more. "Here," the former terrorist stopped and crouched down by the ground. She used her hand to brush soil and leaves away, revealing a hidden door. "I built this when I first started building my house. Being who I was, I assumed that something like this would happen."

"Thank god for your brilliance." Raiden said quickly and motioned that they hurry. She could feel multiple enemies heading in their direction.

Alphard lifted the door and watched Canaan jump down into the hidden underground bunker. Raiden jumped in next, and then Alphard followed. She gently closed the door and secured the inner lock she had smartly added. Even if someone found the door, they wouldn't be able to open it.

"Is there a light?" Raiden asked in the stifled darkness of the room.

In answer Alphard flipped a switch that activated dim lights along the edge of the floor. It illuminated the bunker enough to see inside, but not enough to make it look suspicious from the outside.

"If I had known about this earlier I would have moved in." Raiden said jokingly as she took in the well-stocked room.

Off to the left corner there seemed to be a mini bar combined with a tiny kitchen. Across from that there was a door that Raiden guessed lead to a bathroom. On the opposite side of the room sat a bunk bed, covered in warm looking blankets and fluffy pillows. They were standing in the middle of the bunker, which happened to be the lounge portion of the room. Right in front of Raiden stood a couch, much like the one Alphard had in her house. There was a plasma TV mounted to the wall, and below that different electronic devices meant for entertainment.

"Wow." Canaan exclaimed in appreciation and turned to Alphard, who stepped forward and rested her forehead against Canaan's.

"Glad I was smart enough to make this room."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you. How is this even possible? A TV?"

"Money can buy anything, love." Alphard grinned at the slight blush that covered Canaan's face. Pet names were still new for her, and although they embarrassed her, she found that she greatly enjoyed them.

"While we're here we might as well make the best of it." Raiden said, sounding more pleased than she should have considering the fact that they were being hunted down by professional men with guns. She plopped down onto the couch and turned the TV on, making sure to keep the volume way down.

Alphard decided to leave Raiden to herself and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and expelled a long breath. Canaan sat down beside her and took her hand.

"I'm sorry for this." Canaan said. Alphard leaned against her and rested her head against Canaan's.

"No need to apologize. This could be Alexander's doing, after all. Don't blame yourself Canaan."

"Alexander?"

"Yeah," Alphard let herself fall back onto the bed and looked up at the underside of the top bunk. "She was my new second in command after I made my way back to the Snakes. After I left, I guess she became the official leader."

Canaan curled up beside Alphard and rested her head against her chest, listening to the steady heartbeat under her ear.

"Is she a psycho too?"

Alphard chuckled. "Aren't all terrorists psychos? But no, I don't think she is quite off the deep end like Liang Qi was, if that's what you mean. She is quite intelligent and logical, more than I was at that stage." Alphard wrapped an arm around Canaan and pulled her on top of her.

"That's good, I think."

"Yeah. I don't know why psychos tend to fall obsessively in love with me." Alphard said and winked at Canaan, who gave her a glare.

"I'm not a psycho."

"No, you aren't." Alphard relented and smiled at her glaring love. She smoothed the crease between Canaan's brows with her finger and then trailed her finger down to her lips. "We might as well make the best of this, like Rai said." She added as she stared mesmerizingly at Canaan's lips.

"That's the best idea I've heard in the past hour." Canaan said and leaned down to capture her tough girlfriend's lips. They both smiled into the kiss, and soon Alphard had her hands under Canaan's shirt.

"Hey! No sex while I'm in the same room! I refuse to spend the next hour in the bathroom."

"Rai."

"No! You two can wait. Aren't we facing a life threatening situation here, and you two want to act like rabbits in heat?"

"Raiden?"

"What?"

Alphard leaned to the side so that she could look at Raiden. "The bathroom has a Jacuzzi and a TV as well. There's a mini fridge in there too." Only a second passed until the red head responded.

"Have fun you two!" Raiden turned and headed for the bathroom. She opened the door and looked inside, clapping her hands in excitement when Alphard's words were confirmed. Before disappearing into the bathroom, however, she turned to the couple on the bed with a serious frown. "Stay safe and use protection." Raiden's frown transformed into a teasing grin. She quickly jumped back and shut the door, seconds later hearing the thump of Alphard's shoe hitting the wooden surface.

"Alphard?" Canaan turned to her lover below her with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Are you going to kiss me now?" The question was followed by Alphard pulling Canaan down and attacking her lips. She soon changed from moving her lips with Canaan's to gently biting down onto her bottom lip and tugging at the soft flesh. This caused Canaan to moan and frantically pull at her clothing.

Canaan's shirt went flying down onto the floor, and with the exposed skin Alphard ran her nails down the synesthete's back and chuckled at the predatory growl it created.

There was no doubt that all three would enjoy their time in hiding, amusingly so, considering their current predicament.

Raiden chuckled to herself when she heard the muffled sounds coming from behind the door. "One day I will look back on this and laugh harder than I'm sure I will tomorrow." She grinned up at the dark ceiling and closed her eyes, sinking lower into the warm bubbly water.


	17. Chapter 17: s(AINT)

Author's Note: This chapter is short, I apologise. I do hope you enjoy it anyway ^^ Here you will get to meet Alexander, my second OC. (Song by Marilyn Manson)

Chapter 17: s(AINT)

* * *

"_I don't care if your world is ending today because I wasn't invited to it anyway. You said I tasted famous, so I drew you a heart. But now I'm not an artist I'm a fucking work of art. I've got an F and a C and I got a K too, and the only thing that's missing is a bitch like U."_

* * *

Alexander Lee, clad in nothing but a black silk robe, stepped out onto the balcony of her room. She walked up to the railing and gripped the cold metal in both of her hands. The sun had just barely risen, casting a faint light across the beach.

The new Snakes leader fixed her eyes on the horizon, towards the gentle glow of the rising sun in the distance.

She released a breath and watched as it turned to vapour and then dissipated. Her knuckles turned white with the force of her hold on the now warm railing.

There was only one prominent thought on her mind; Alphard.

_Alphard, how favourable for me that the country you decided to run away to happened to be this one. _She grinned towards the sea as she thought about her sudden luck.

_Will you be expecting me? Will you expect my gun to be the one to end your life?_

She released her grip on the railing and ran a hand through her shoulder length, curly black hair.

The sound of footsteps approaching the balcony stopped any further train of thought.

"Lee-sama, we have word that there will be an attack." A burly man stood at attention and reported in a clipped tone.

"When?"

"Within the hour." He replied.

Alexander regarded him with icy blue eyes, and then nodded and waved him off. He bowed his head respectfully and then breathed a sigh of relief as he left.

The terrorist turned back to the horizon, a smile on her lips. She was pleased with the newest report, and spared a moment to wonder if Alphard would get out alive.

_Have you lost your touch, Alphard, or are you still as ruthless as the rumours say?_

Alexander had always wondered who the supposed merciless Alphard was. Since she had joined the Snakes as Alphard's second in command after the former terrorist's fight on the train, she only got to know the woman at her lowest.

She had watched as Alphard drowned herself in her obsession, and slowly felt any respect and awe she had for the Snakes leader fast turning into disbelief and disgust. How could the unstoppable Alphard be that woman she had picked up at the hospital? It was still a wonder to her.

The former leader running away had been expected. After their fight, and Alexander managing to get through to her crazed boss, she noticed signs of withdrawal. Alphard involved herself less and less, and then one day she took a helicopter and disappeared. Not to mention that a very, very large portion of the Snakes money had gone missing at the time too.

Alexander wasn't sad to see Alphard leave, in fact, she had been thrilled. Now was her chance to fulfil her lifelong dream. And that was what she was doing.

That was why she was in South Africa, but why was Alphard?

_Did you run away and become a hermit, Alphard? Or are you as brilliant as they say and you're planning something amazing?_

Alexander had her suspicions, her theories and guesses as to where Alphard had gone to and why. It was a constant thing in her mind. And then when she set up a base in South Africa, she spotted the dark haired woman walking through town. Doing... shopping.

It amused the hell out of her.

"I'm going to kill you Alphard, and only then can I be the most ruthless terrorist known to man. You may have lost what made you the most wanted woman alive, but the memory of you still remains." She spoke out softly, not caring who heard if anyone did at all.

"Your legacy haunts me, and once I kill you, I will have lived up to that, and more." She ended her self-proclamation, running the familiar words around in her head as she went back into her room to change.

"I've got work to do." Alexander said as she strapped a gun to her hip and secured a knife at her ankle.

She left her room, heading for the surveillance room that contained multiple computers and monitors, all watching over different sections of the Snakes Headquarters.

When she entered the room, all the men and women there straightened their postures and ended their conversations.

"Any new developments?" The leader asked and leaned over the main desk, peering into the most important monitor in the room.

"The helicopter opened fire on the house, now a boat is approaching. The men will search the area for the bodies, and if they are alive they will be dealt with." A woman, ranking the highest among the Snake soldiers, spoke up in answer to her boss and looked to her for a response.

"Lovely." Alexander grinned and turned to her favourite servant. "Maya, observe until the area is cleared and report any changes to me as soon as possible. Understood?"

The woman nodded. "Understood, Lee-sama." She bowed her head and then closed her eyes when she felt fingers brush against the side of her neck. When she opened her eyes she was greeted with Alexander's face level with her own.

"Maybe give me a visit sooner." The leader said softly, making sure that no one else heard. She followed the secret order with a wink and then stood.

"Stay alert and contact me if anything changes." She announced to the room, waiting to see everyone nod in affirmation, and then she left the stuffy room for the more breathable air in the hallway. She leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, an amused grin tugging at her lips.

_Just you wait Alphard, Alex is coming for you. And this time I will not hesitate to defeat you._

She pushed off of the wall and headed for their lab, wondering how their work was coming along and how much longer she would need to wait until she could exact her plan, get her revenge, and take over the world.

* * *

A picture of Alexander Lee has been posted on my Facebook page (Ca_x_Al Forever – Canaan Anime) for those who would like to go and see what she looks like ^^. I think she's quite sexy, if I do say so myself.


	18. Chapter 18: Stupid Girl

Author's Note: (Song by Cold)

Chapter 18: Stupid Girl

* * *

_"I'm a loner, I'm a loser, I'm a winner, In my mind. I'm a bad one, I'm a good one, I'm a sick one, with a smile. I can't take this, Born to break this."_

* * *

"Rai?" Alphard looked up from her seat on the couch and cast her friend a questioning look. The red head had her eyes closed and her face set in determination. After a minute of silence Raiden opened her eyes and nodded.

"They're gone."

"Completely?"

"Yeah. There's no one even close to us right now. It's safe to leave."

Alphard nodded, satisfied with her friend's words and trusting that they were truth. She turned to Canaan and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay alert. If you see any sign of an enemy, let us know." Alphard said to her girlfriend.

Canaan's eyes bled into red, signifying that she had turned her synesthesia on and understood the request. With their abilities on and senses on high alert, the three of them emerged from the underground bunker and into the grey morning light.

They had stayed there the whole night due to the soldiers searching over the area at least 3 times. When they had yet to find their targets, the men returned to their boat and left.

It was silent as they walked between the trees. Alphard remained relaxed even though she should have been worried. Having Canaan and Raiden with her eased her stress, since she knew that if anything appeared they would sense it before it was even close enough to sense them.

In agreement they had decided to go back to Alphard's house to see the state of its condition. When they arrived, Alphard's heart tightened.

The place had been destroyed. Not only were there thousands of bullet holes from when that helicopter had attacked, but all of her belongings had been tossed over and thrown across the room. Every cupboard and door was left hanging open. Blankets had been tossed onto the floor, as well as clothes and any item in a cupboard or drawer. Even all of the food had been pushed out of the cabinets.

The floor was a mess with broken glass and food.

Alphard was boiling inside. Her home, the house she had worked so hard on and took pride in, had been violated so easily by those bastards. Her possessions had been touched by those pigs. Everything had been overturned and carelessly broken. She even spared a moment to wonder if they had stolen anything. It wouldn't shock anyone if they had.

"Alphard…" Canaan put a hand on her girlfriend's shaking arm. She could tell that the dark haired woman was struggling to handle this and tried to think of a way to help her. The only thing she could think of was to comfort her the only way that she could.

Alphard spared her a small, pained smile before she pulled her cellphone out and dialed a number. The person on the other end picked up and soon Alphard walked down the beach in a deep discussion.

Canaan stayed by Raiden's side, sitting beside her on the patio stairs. She watched her girlfriend pace up and down the beach as she spoke rigidly over the phone.

"Sucks that this happened." Raiden said and sighed.

"Yeah. Everything was so perfect and then it all went to hell so fast."

"Al doesn't deserve this. I know she's done some bad stuff, but now she doesn't deserve this. Not now."

"Who do you think she's talking to?" Canaan asked her similarly agitated companion.

"She's talking to someone about cleaning and repairing the house. She really loves this place. Those bastards destroying it like this is like shooting and kicking her heart around." Raiden huffed and kicked at the sand by her feet. She was just as upset about this because she knew how much this place meant to her friend. It wasn't just a house, it was a reflection of her change and of the new person she had become.

To spit on something so important was unbearable to Alphard, and to her.

When Canaan looked up she was relieved to see Alphard walking back towards them. The former terrorist looked threatening as she stalked back, having a distinctly different sway to her walk. It was one that Canaan recognized. This was really upsetting Alphard.

Without thinking the synesthete pulled the stiff raven-head into her arms and just hugged her tightly. Alphard didn't respond at first. She remained still and cold, but the warmth of Canaan managed to melt the ice around her heart and she slowly returned the embrace. Her hold turned from hesitant to almost painfully tight as Alphard pulled Canaan harder against her. Having comfort like this was new, but Alphard realized that she really needed it.

If Canaan hadn't been there, she would have retrieved her gun and started shooting at anything.

"Al, you two can't stay here. I'll let you stay by my place until everything is fixed up." Raiden stood and gave her friend a pat on the back.

"Thanks Rai, we really appreciate this." Alphard disengaged herself from the hug and wrapped her hand around Canaan's.

Nothing more was said as they walked to the closest parking area and let Raiden drive them to her house. Once there, Raiden showed them to their room and then said her goodnight before disappearing into her own room to sleep, since none of them had been able to sleep at all while down in that bunker.

Alphard and Canaan undressed in silence. They felt more emotionally exhausted than physically, but decided to climb into bed anyway.

"Alphard?" Canaan asked after they had climbed under the covers and she had cuddled up against her love's side.

"Mm?"

"I know there isn't much I can do for you right now, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me." The synesthete said in a soft voice.

Alphard exhaled a long breath and turned to look Canaan in the eyes. She surprised the synesthete by giving her a bright smile.

"What's wrong with me?" Alphard said and rolled over onto Canaan, bringing her body above the synesthete's. "Here I am getting angry about the house when the most important thing to me is still okay." She looked down into Canaan's eyes and then leaned down and gently captured her lips. As sweet as the moment was, it was broken when Canaan stiffened gently pushed Alphard back by a centimeter.

"Don't talk." Canaan whispered almost inaudibly against her lips, causing Alphard to stiffen as well. "There's someone walking towards our room, and it isn't Raiden." Both of them froze.

Alphard strained her ears, eventually hearing soft footsteps approaching their room. The steps drew closer and then stopped directly in front of the door. Canaan had her red eyes completely fixed on the door; the blue colour from behind it filled her vision.

Alphard jumped out of bed and ran over to where they had put their clothes. She grabbed her pants and then dug around in one of the pockets, producing a gun. It was the second object she had gone back to fetch when her house was first attacked.

"Canaan, get behind me!" Alphard whispered fiercely just as the door handle turned.

Since she didn't have her gun with her, and Alphard did, she followed the command and all but materialized behind her girlfriend. Canaan wrapped her arms around her love's waist, Alphard raised her gun, and the door swung open.

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened, forcing Alphard to call out to whomever was out there.

"Show yourself!" Alphard called out confidently.

"Oh my," the intruder said and stepped into the room. "Was I interrupting something?"

"You." Alphard clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the gun.

"Yes, me. Did you like my lovely congratulations present? I sent a helicopter out after discovering your and Canaan's new… closeness."

"You destroyed my house." Alphard had to use all of her self control not to leap forward and strangle the woman herself.

"And what a beautiful sight it was."

"Yuri," Alphard seethed, pointing the gun directly at the enemy's head. "I will kill you."

"It would be wise not to pull that trigger." Yuri sat down on the bed and regarded them with her usual cold smirk. "I have all of my men surrounding this house. There are snipers aiming their guns at you right now. Their orders are to take you out if I give the order, or if I am shot at."

"What do you want?" Canaan asked and stepped out from behind her lover.

"Oh look, the freak finally decides to join us. Was your hiding place not good enough?"

"Shut up. What do you want, Yuri?"

"I want you dead. Both of you." Yuri said bluntly with a large amount of vehemence and hate.

"But?" Alphard enquired, sensing that there was a reason they weren't dead yet. If their death was the only objective then Yuri wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to make sure she could have a conversation without getting killed.

"I need your help, as much as I despise having to say that."

"And what makes you think we will help you?"

"Because it is the only way to save yourselves. Help me and I'll let you live."

Before anyone could react, Alphard shot forward and tackled Yuri onto the bed. She wrapped a hand around the woman's throat and pressed her gun to Yuri's head.

"I am no longer with the Snakes. Canaan is living with me. We aren't hurting anyone, and don't plan to. We do not want to help you, so why don't you just leave us alone? Just forget that we exist and go back to doing whatever it is that you do." Alphard spoke slowly and pressed the gun harder against Yuri's head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Alphard. Not only did you commit crimes too heinous to name, but Canaan betrayed me. Neither of you can be left alone without some sort of payment in return."

"I've changed."

"I don't give a damn if you have changed. Facts remain facts." Yuri and Alphard glared at each other for a while, neither saying anything more.

"Alphard," Canaan approached her girlfriend and pulled her away from Yuri. She leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. "There is no other way. Yuri is right. What we have done has us trapped in this. Let's just help, and then we'll be left alone."

Yuri sat up and straightened her clothing. She watched in curiosity as the white haired girl whispered to the ex-terrorist, still unable to believe that these two psychos had gotten together. To her it was the biggest joke she had ever stumbled upon.

"Yuri," Alphard's voice broke the woman from her thoughts, and she turned to the couple standing at the opposite end of the room.

"Have you considered my offer?"

"We have." Canaan spoke up. "We will help, but before we officially agree,"

"We want to know what you need help with."

"I see." Yuri stood and walked to the window. She moved the curtain aside and surveyed the area. All of the men were still in place, poised and patiently waiting for an order. "As you know, the Ua Virus is here. I've managed to find out that they are busy experimenting and altering it. Your job is to break into the facility and destroy their research, as well as to obtain any trace of that virus and bring it to me."

Alphard sighed in relief. That was something they were going to do anyway, since she and Raiden couldn't allow the Snakes to release that virus and send the country into panic. They had people to protect.

"Okay, Yuri. We accept."

"Good. I don't care how you do it, just get it done. You have three days, no later." Yuri stood from the bed and left, not even giving them a second glance.

Canaan watched as the multiple blue clouds in her vision dimmed and then disappeared, indicating that they had all left. Not even a minute had passed before the couple heard familiar steps rushing down the hallway towards their room.

"Canaan! Alphard!" Raiden burst into the room and looked around with panicked eyes. When she spotted her targets standing off to the side, unscathed, she slumped down against the wall and sighed. "Thank God. Al, I wanted to come but I had about 5 snipers trained on me. They were ordered to shoot me if I tried to leave the room." The red head informed her friends.

"It's okay Rai. We're safe for now." Alphard pulled Canaan with her and climbed onto the bed. She fell down onto her back and covered her eyes with her arm. "You already know the story."

"I do. So you have to help or that bitch will kill you. But how do you know that she won't kill you anyway, even if you do help?" Raiden asked.

"That's the thing, I don't know. There isn't much of a choice here, so I'll just have to stay wary and watch my back. Will you help us?" Canaan ran a hand through Alphard's hair, calming the raven-head enough to uncover her eyes and move so that she had her head rested in Canaan's lap.

"Of course!" Raiden jumped up and punched her fist against her palm. "I'll help you as much as I can."

"Good." Alphard mumbled, nearing the point of falling asleep. "I have a plan that won't work without you. Since Alexander knows me and knows of Canaan."

"And what will I be needed for?"

"I'll explain later, Rai, I am barely awake right now. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sure. Get some rest. I might as well go back to sleep." Raiden gave Canaan a nod and then made her way out of the room, muttering softly to herself about how she should upgrade her security.

"Alphard, are we going to be okay?" Canaan asked as they both climbed properly into bed and felt Alphard pull her into her arms.

"I wish I could say that we'll be fine, but I just can't. I do know that I'll protect you with my life." Alphard said with conviction.

"I'll protect you with mine too. Just don't sacrifice yourself for me, okay? It's either both of us or neither of us."

"Geez, we sound like some cheesy Romeo and Juliet story." Alphard sighed deeply. "You don't think that we can find a way to just leave the country and run away from all of this?"

"Alphard," Canaan sat up and regarded her dark lover with a serious look. "Running is never the answer. We'll end up running for the rest of our lives, and eventually it will catch up to us."

Alphard smiled. "You're so intelligent. And I know, running isn't the answer. I just don't want this shit happening in my life. I've got you, and I just want to spend my days being with you and falling deeper in love with you as each day goes by."

"You'll get that," Canaan leaned forward until their noses were touching. "Just be patient. Stay positive that we will make it out of this together."

"Okay, I'll do that." Alphard pressed her lips against Canaan's, only to have them captured.

"I don't suppose you're very tired right now." Canaan asked suggestively as she straddled Alphard's stomach.

"After everything that's happened, you can still think about sex?"

"The world could be ending and I'd still want you." Canaan's determined reply caused Alphard to chuckle.

"Come here." She pulled her love's face down to her own and started a deep, passionate kiss.

Soon their small amount of clothing went flying to the floor.

"I love you Canaan." Alphard said tenderly and caressed the side of the synesthete's face and then cupped her cheek in her hand. Canaan closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, a smile spreading out on her face.

"I love you too Alphard." She replied and then kissed Alphard with intense love.

The two made passionate love, blocking the world out of their little bubble of existence, if just for a few hours.

Outside the sun rose and warmed the beach sand and a breeze traveled through the trees, all of this creating a scene of paradise, giving the illusion that nothing was amiss, and that everything would be alright.


	19. Chapter 19: Crawling

Author's Note: (Song by Linkin Park)

Chapter 19: Crawling

* * *

"_Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me. Distracting, reacting. Against my will I stand beside my own reflection. It's haunting how I can't seem... To find myself again, my walls are closing in."_

* * *

Canaan, Alphard and Raiden had slept for most of the day. When 5PM came around Alphard awoke and headed down to the lounge. She couldn't wake Canaan, since the synesthete was still fast asleep, and it seemed that Raiden was out as well.

Alphard made a cup of coffee and then went outside to sit beside the pool.

Though it was late afternoon, it felt like morning to the former terrorist. She took a seat on one of the beach chairs and looked up at the sky. The darkening blue calmed her nerves enough to let Alphard think.

She really needed to think. Everything had started happening so fast. She'd gone from having the most wonderful night of her life with her new love to being shot at and hunted. Why did things like this happen to her?

"I guess I deserve it." Alphard said into the still air while clutching the cup tightly in her hand. She took a long sip and then leaned forward, resting her arms on her legs.

"No matter what, I will protect Canaan." She said, and she meant it. Protecting Canaan was now her main objective.

She loved the synesthete with all her heart, even though she never thought that would ever be possible. Losing her lover now wasn't even an option. Alphard didn't care who she had to kill. Even if she had to shoot her arm off again, she would do it. Canaan meant that much to her.

Having a moment to herself felt refreshing. Being able to just think about everything and sort her feelings out eased the tightness in her chest. She had this bad feeling that she couldn't seem to shake, and as much as she tried to think positively, that bad feeling remained.

It took a lot of restraint on her part not to kidnap Canaan and run away; to hide her somewhere and keep her safe forever.

"Geez, when did I become so clingy?" Alphard finished the coffee and went inside to put the cup in the sink. As she turned she was startled by a pair of golden eyes watching her with interest. "Jesus Rai, when did you get up?"

"Not long ago. I saw you sitting outside but left you alone. How are you feeling?" The red head scooted over on the couch and watched her friend take a seat beside her.

"I feel sick to my stomach, to be honest."

"Me too." Raiden's tone of voice was different from her usual casual tone. This time she sounded frighteningly serious. "I don't trust that Yuri woman. Not one bit."

"Me neither. I never have."

"But we've got no choice here."

"Raiden, listen." Alphard put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to help. I know I asked, but this doesn't concern you. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt because my past is catching up to me."

"Al," Raiden gave the hand on her shoulder a pat and then gave Alphard a playful punch. "You're my friend; I don't have many of those. I like Canaan, and I know that you both are crazy in love." Following her words Raiden grinned. "You were really loud earlier. How could you both think of that in a time like this?"

Alphard blushed the slightest shade of red and looked away.

"Ah, you're in that sheet-burn stage." Raiden pretended to understand some great mystery.

"Sheet-burn stage?"

"That stage in the relationship where you can't keep your hands off of each other." Raiden gave Alphard a slap on the back. "You're in it."

"No we aren't." Alphard crossed her arms over her chest and sat back with a stubborn frown.

"How many times have you made love?" Raiden asked.

Alphard looked up for a moment trying to count all of their passionate sessions in the last two days.

"I, um... I lost count." In answer Raiden just raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Okay fine. We're going through the sheet-burn stage."

"We're going through what?" Canaan spoke us as she entered the lounge and sat down on top of Alphard's lap, surprising her already flustered girlfriend.

"You and Al there are going through that stage in a relationship where you can't stop ravishing each other." Raiden teasingly replied and gave the couple a rakish grin.

"Oh?" Canaan turned to Alphard and then kissed her. The kiss soon turned heated and passionate, causing both of them to completely forget about their audience. To remind them of her presence, Raiden cleared her throat.

"Raiden, you're right." Canaan commented after released Alphard and leaned back to give the red head a sexy smile.

"Wha-" Alphard couldn't believe Canaan's forwardness.

"You are really cute when you're flustered." Canaan commented and kissed the tip of Alphard's nose.

"You did that just to get a reaction out of me?"

"I did." Canaan couldn't help but grin at Alphard's exasperated expression.

"If you're not careful then I'll have to punish you again."

"Oh really?" Canaan challenged. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment until Raiden clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Okay, love birds. Romantic moment over, let's get down to business."

The synesthete gave her love one more kiss before she looked to Raiden with regained seriousness.

The three of them spent the next few hours planning and talking their strategies out.

Alphard's plan was to send Raiden in as a new Snake soldier to infiltrate and scout the Headquarters. By doing this they could obtain enough information to stage a perfect break in and get the job done. It would be especially beneficial if Raiden could convince the enemy to leave the Headquarters if just for an hour. They wouldn't know when to break in until Raiden had managed to find out what they needed to know.

Raiden accepted the job with excitement. She took the whole things as a chance to use her dormant skills and feel the exhilaration of a mission. Though she enjoyed her new life, Raiden did miss the danger and the adrenalin of her past.

After sorting out the last details of their plan it was already 11PM. Yuri hadn't given them a lot of time, so they would have to send Raiden in as soon as possible. Probably by the next day.

They decided to go to sleep even though they weren't tired. Rest was needed as they all had to be in their best shape.

Alphard and Canaan climbed into bed, both mentally exhausted from the hours of planning and thinking.

The raven-head curled her body around Canaan and wrapped her arms around her, effectively trapping her girlfriend against her chest. When they had relaxed enough, they eventually fell into a deep sleep, one filled with nightmares.


	20. Chapter 20: Glad You Came

Author's Note: Hey all ^^ I apologise for the long wait. The school holiday just started and I went to my gran for a few days -_- Hopefully the holiday will give me the motivation to write until I drop. So here's the next chapter! Let me know what you all are thinking of my story so far ^^ is it still enjoyable? (Song by Megan Nicole)

Chapter 20: Glad You Came

* * *

"_The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts is here and now. My universe will never be the same, I'm glad you came."_

* * *

Darkness. It was overwhelming. Inky blackness was all Canaan could sense. There was no sense of direction, so sign of light or hope. It was as if she had been thrust into a silent abyss, left to suffer a quiet torture in the presence of none existence. She called out and twisted her body, trying to reach for any sort of hope.

Her heart lurched as she was suddenly thrust into the light. It was so sudden that she was left frozen in shock for the first few seconds, and then blinded by the sheering light for seconds more. When her eyes had adjusted, so did the rest of her senses.

Smell. It was the tangy heaviness of rain and soil. The scent of the earth as it hungrily drank at the offering from the skies. It was musky and thick, but pleasant and fresh.

Touch. She felt around with her hands and registered the sensation of wetness and soil. Her guess was mud. Her body felt cold and sore, like she had been dropped into the dirt and left to shiver. The air felt hot and cold at the same time, causing the synesthete's body to shiver in confusion. It didn't know whether it should react to the cold or the hot, whether to sweat or to shiver, so it did both.

Hearing. Canaan focused her ears and strained to catch any sounds of life. All she could register was the sound of rain. Steady raindrops fell down around her, creating mute plops where ever the tiny capsules of liquid landed. The entire audio scene created a loud roar of rain, not enough to overwhelm, but enough to silence.

Taste. The white haired girl crawled onto her hands and knees and opened her mouth. She dragged a long string of air into her lungs, and then slowly exhaled. The air tasted as heavy as it felt. It was hot and moist, almost unpleasant in substance. Canaan took another breath and savoured it, finding this bout of oxygen more pleasant than the first. By her tenth deep breath her body and mind had adapted and the heavy tang ceased to bother her.

Emotion. Canaan's chest constricted with panic. She felt on edge without knowing why. Something wasn't right. She tried to block the building panic out of her mind, but the strong feeling kept bubbling up inside of her chest as if she was drowning in it. She decided to focus on the rain, and eventually the rhythmic sound eased her nerves and calmed her mind.

At last, sight. Canaan lifted her head and opened her eyes. She peered over the area before her, absorbing the visual data and sorting it out into valuable information. Her earlier assumption had been correct; she was in fact lying in mud. The ground beneath her consisted of mud and gravel, with leaves littered around in disorderly patterns. She could only see the area closest to her, because the rest had been swallowed in fog. The thick white of the fog circulated and hung menacingly in the air. Above her dark, angry clouds continued to release all of its pent up moisture, dousing the earth in wetness.

Canaan stood. Her legs were shaking and so were her hands. She stepped forward but stopped when an object slid out from underneath the fog and thumped against her shoe.

"My gun?" Canaan uttered, finding the calm timbre of her voice a strange contribution to this experience. With that in mind, she decided not to speak again and to instead see where she was and what had brought her here.

She leaned down and retrieved her gun, quickly securing it at the waistband of her pants at her back. Feeling safer than she had earlier, and less vulnerable, Canaan walked forward and entered the cloudy fog.

It parted for her as she strode, but still impaired her vision. Seeing anything in front of her became a trying task the further she walked. Even the ground disappeared and her feet were hidden by the white cloud on the ground. About to turn and walk back to the clearing she had started at, Canaan froze upon hearing a voice.

It was distant and vague. When she strained to hear more, Canaan heard a second voice, a third, and then a fourth that made her heart drop. The voice itself didn't affect her so; it was rather the tone of it. It was Alphard's voice, and she sounded resolute. A voice one would use when faced with the result of your acceptance of death, and its mission of consuming you.

This prompted the red eyed girl to leap forward and follow the shouting voice. As she ran she called out to her love, no longer feeling the need to contain her voice. Panicked, Canaan called. The louder the voices got, the harder Canaan called out Alphard's name. There came no response and no reaction when the synesthete finally broke from the fog and entered a new area.

She had wound up in a street unfamiliar to her, and took a moment to survey the area.

A single street light illuminated the dark area. The sky was just as dark since the moon and stars were suffocated by the clouds that continued to pour. All at once everything came together and Canaan gasped. Gun fire took hold of her hearing and deafened her for a second. After that came the smell of gun powder and then the iron hotness of blood. When she opened her eyes, she screamed.

Alphard and Raiden lay dead at her feet, littered with gun holes and surrounded by empty bullet shells. Not only the two, but many other fallen soldiers lay motionless under the rain. Their blood seeped out and mingled, creating a pool of scarlet death underneath the synesthete's feet.

She fell down onto her knees and cried. Tears streamed out and fell from her face, dripping from her chin. Her tears continued to pour as she pulled Alphard's body into her arms and tightened her embrace.

"Canaan…" A hallow voice spoke up into the synesthete's ear. Canaan froze. Her heart slowed its pace and her breathing paused. A cold hand swept along her neck, across her cheek and then through her hair. "All for you… Canaan… All for you…" The empty voice of Alphard whispered again, and then everything turned black.

"ALPHARD!" Canaan's body arched up following her unconscious scream. Alphard burst into the room the second Canaan had awoken after her body had fallen back onto the mattress.

The former soldier wasted no time and pulled Canaan into her arms and onto her lap. She felt her love violently shiver and swept a warm, comforting hand through her hair. Eventually the synesthete calmed and she relaxed in the secure embrace of the person she loved.

"Canaan." Alphard whispered and placed a tender kiss atop the hyperaware girl's forehead. Canaan's eyes were glowing and shifting in their usual red, though the colour seemed more intense now than it usually did. "Canaan." Alphard said again. It wasn't a question or a demand to know what had caused her to scream, but an assurance that she was there and that she would keep her safe.

"It was a nightmare." Canaan breathed and slumped against her girlfriend's chest. She took deep breaths and smiled when the scent of her love filled her senses. It nearly sent her on a natural high.

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. It was just a dream and you are okay, so I'll be fine."

"Okay. But I'll be here for you if you realize that you aren't fine." Alphard said and tightened her hold.

"Thank you." Canaan placed a kiss against Alphard's jaw and then sighed. "I need to shower since that dream made me sweat."

"Okay." Alphard simply said and then stood from the bed with Canaan in her arms. The synesthete protested all the way into the bathroom. The raven-head chuckled when she placed Canaan back onto her feet and then turned the shower on.

"I'm too worried to leave you alone." The former terrorist supplied and then started removing Canaan's clothes.

"So you're going to shower with me?" The last of hers and Alphard's clothes were removed before the older of the two turned to her love with serious eyes.

"If this is making you uncomfortable then I can leave. I don't want to assume…"

Suddenly Canaan backed Alphard up against the wall and then pinned her there with her body.

"I don't mind." Canaan said with a suggestive smile and then stopped Alphard's response with a passionate kiss.

An hour later the couple were sitting on the couch together underneath a blanket. The morning had grown cold enough that they needed extra warmth.

"Where is Raiden?" Canaan asked her love as she left the warmth of the couch and blanket to head into the kitchen. She quickly made two cups of hot chocolate and then replied as she sat down and handed a warm cup to her love.

"She went out to get stuff for her mission." Alphard took a sip and then sighed. The warmth just slipped down her throat and warmed her chest. Canaan scooted closer to Alphard until she could rest her head on her shoulder.

"I see."

"And to give us some alone time, I guess." Alphard added. "She can be an idiot but she can care. I really need to just be alone with you for a bit and pretend that our lives aren't in the balance."

"Alphard?" Canaan asked and waited for grey-blue eyes to focus on hers. "Are you scared?"

"I am, of losing you."

"We'll make it through this."

"I wish I could believe that."

"Alphard, we will make it. I don't care about what I have to do to make sure you and I win against this."

Alphard sighed and gave Canaan a gentle smile. "You can be quite stubborn. I guess that much hasn't changed at all."

Canaan just leaned against Alphard. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt scared as well. There was this intense feeling of dread in her heart and nothing she did would make it go away. Staying positive was the only thing she could try to do to keep herself from caving in and running away with Alphard. Running away would be easy but it wasn't the answer.

"Canaan?"

"Mm?" The synesthete broke from her thoughts and gave all of her attention to her girlfriend.

"Will you move in with me?" The question came out casually. Canaan blinked for a few seconds before she responded.

"I thought I already did."

"Yeah, but…" Alphard rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I want you to move in with _me_, not just into my house."

"Meaning?" Canaan titled her head in confusion since she didn't really understand what the black-haired woman was trying to ask. She thought she had already moved in when they had confessed and all that. It was true that most of her stuff was still in Shanghai, but in her heart she had moved in and intended to stay.

"Share my room with me." Alphard eventually supplied, slowing growing frustrated with her love's moment of density. "I don't want you to sleep in that guest room any more. I'll clear up a space in my cupboard for your clothes, and one half of my bed will be your half." At the end of her words Alphard was blushing.

Canaan's eyes widened in realization. Now she understood, and with that she also realized the commitment Alphard wanted.

"Um…" Canaan turned away as her own blush started, but remained against Alphard's side. "Okay." She said softly.

They sat in uncomfortable silence until the contentment won out and they started laughing. It was amusing that they, two once hard core killers, could be so emotional and needy.

For the last hours of the morning Canaan and Alphard sat together on the couch and spoke. They shared everything; fears, dreams, wants, needs and hopes. They opened their hearts to each other in some unspoken agreement that they might not get another chance to do this. Though neither wanted to admit it, they were both full of dread and fear. Something was bound to happen and they knew it. They just didn't know if either of them would make it out alive.

When it had cooled down and late afternoon came around they decided to go for a walk on the beach. Alphard was the first to take hold of Canaan's hand as they started their stroll along the cold sand. They remained silent and just enjoyed the peaceful sound of the crashing waves.

The calm scene was broken, however, when Raiden called to them from the pool area. She beckoned them over, and the couple sighed.

"I guess it's time to start the mission." Alphard sighed and turned with her white haired girlfriend at her side.

"It is. At least we had some time alone. When all of this is over we'll have a lot of time together."

"I hope so." Alphard said. "I really hope so." They fell into silence on the way back and Canaan couldn't help but shiver internally.

_I hope so too Alphard, I really do._


	21. Chapter 21: Infiltrating My Way Through

Author's Note: (Song by Ayria)

Chapter 21: Infiltrating My Way Through The System

* * *

"_There's no telling just what we could do, just have to get through this. I don't know what they want me to see. I just know that they don't see me. I'm concealed, silent threat too. I'm infiltrating through."_

* * *

The sun was still setting in the distance when three silent figures hid behind the cover of nature. It had grown cold once more and a chilled breeze rustled the leaves, and there was silence except for the sound of waves and an odd bird in the distance.

Raiden turned to the two beside her and gave them a serious look.

"I will go in dressed like this," Raiden said and indicated to the clothing she now wore. It was the same uniform the Snakes soldiers wore, since she would now have to pretend to be a new recruit. "And then I will scout the place and create a mental map. I'll focus on all of the best entry points and I will survey the security. I will also find my way to the lab that they have here, and if I am lucky then I will get in and grab a sample of that virus. If I'm lucky."

"Don't push it, Rai." Alphard advised.

"I won't. I just don't think we can get this done in such a short amount of time. Maybe if I get a sample, that Yuri woman will see that we can do this and won't kill us in three days if we end up failing."

"We just won't fail." Alphard said determinedly. "But if you can get more information, that would be wonderful. Just don't end up getting your ass handed to you because you got too excited and tried your luck."

"Oi," Raiden gave Alphard a playful smirk and then a punch on the arm. "I used to be the most kickass assassin. Give me more credit."

"You were an assassin?" Canaan turned to Raiden.

"We'll tell you about it after all of this is over." Alphard said as she placed a hand against Canaan's back. It was a gesture to comfort the synesthete, since she could see the girl was on edge, but it was also an action to calm her own nerves.

"Right. As soon as I am in you just watch my progress. If I am in trouble then I will alert you. Hopefully I can get in and out before anyone gets used to my face."

"Good luck Raiden." Canaan said to the red head and gave her a supportive nod. Alphard seconded the motion with a nod of her own.

Raiden gave them each a cocky smile before she rustled out of the bushed and straightened. She casually strolled over to a bunch of trees where they had hidden a car they had hired for this occasion. It was a tough looking jeep, dark green and muscled. It would have looked peculiar had Raiden simply knocked on the door and demanded entry. The car made her look more realistic and professional.

The former assassin checked for the gun at her hip and then the knife strapped to her ankle before she hopped into the vehicle and brought it to life. She reversed onto the road leading up to the front gate, secured a professional look on her face and then drove on to the front of the house, hoping that they would believe her story and allow her in.

* * *

"Is she in yet?" Canaan asked as she took a seat beside Alphard in Raiden's car. It was parked under cover a short distance from the beach house.

"Yeah, the guard at the gate bought the story and let her in. She's walking into the house right now." Alphard replied as she watched the monitor that was set up in her friend's car. They had hidden a camera in the collar of Raiden's shirt and a tiny microphone below it. It blended in with the dark brown uniform she wore, making sure that no one would notice the hidden devices.

Alphard had insisted that they do this to ensure that if Raiden got into trouble, they would be able to rescue her in time. It also helped that all the date from the camera and microphone would be stored onto Alphard's laptop, ready to be sorted as soon as they had time. So no matter what happened, they would have visual and audio evidence of it. If they couldn't come up with anything in three days, they could at least show the footage that would prove that they had actually tried.

"Now let's hope everything goes according to plan." Canaan commented.

"I would hate to resort to plan B."

"Plan B…" The synesthete said softly, thinking about the conversation they had shared about the second plan.

If the first plan failed, they would have to resort to rushing in and destroying the place without getting killed. Neither of them wanted to resort to that option.

* * *

Raiden let her eyes wonder as she walked through the front door and into a room. It looked to be a lounge since it had couches and a TV mounted to the wall, with only one person sitting around watching a show. There was a glass double-door to the left that led to another room filled with a number of monitors. Raiden guessed that it was the surveillance room.

"So, you're that new recruit, uh… what's your name again?" The big stocky man asked Raiden and flipped through a chart. Raiden was about to offer an excuse of some sort, since they had taken her as someone that was supposed to arrive; she couldn't give them her real name. As luck would have it, a woman approached and interrupted the man's bored paging.

"Ah, so this must be Minami Takuyashi." She said with an approving smile.

"Shirou-sama," the man bowed before her.

"Ah, yes! Yes I am Takuyashi. Reporting for duty, Shirou-sama." Raiden said with a charming smile and bowed deeply.

"Funny," the woman started as she observed Raiden after she had straightened. She stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Raiden's jaw, tilting her head downwards so that she could look into her eyes. Raiden had to suppress the urge to clench her jaw at the unexpected and invasive touch. "I expected Minami-san to be a man."

"What? It's a woman?!" The big man asked in bewilderment as he watched the woman look Raiden up and down.

From their cover, Alphard burst into laughter at the scene playing out on the screen. She called Canaan over and replayed what had been said, laughing again when the synesthete chuckled. They decided to sit down and watch what would happen next, feeling certain that it would be entertaining.

Meanwhile, Raiden would have shot the man a dirty look if her face hadn't been held in place.

"Yes, she is a woman." Shirou turned to the Snake soldier and gave him a disapproving look. The man started to sweat and quickly bowed in apology. "I will not tell Lee-sama of your stupidity. Now get out of my sight." She said harshly to the nervous man.

"But Shirou-sama, I am in charge of showing Minami-san around the place and explaining her position."

"I will do that. You are excused."

The man bowed in submission and walked off in a huff, upset that he was forced to listen to a woman half his size.

"You look strong and alert. Can you handle a weapon?" The woman asked.

"Hai, Shirou-sama. Any weapon that's needed."

"Please, call me Maya-sama." The dark haired soldier said with a wink and finally released her hold on the uncomfortable red head's jaw.

"Only if you will call me Takuya, Maya-sama." Though hating that she had to, Raiden offered a naughty grin. This woman was gorgeous, but her aura was unpleasant and filled with malice. There was also something really creepy about her that just put the red head off.

"Come with me, I will show you around." Maya turned and headed for a hallway off to the corner of the lounge. Raiden followed her throughout the whole house. She was shown the bedrooms, including the one assigned to Minami Takuyashi. Maya toured her through the weapon rooms, the planning room, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the outside areas, and then they passed the boss's room but didn't go inside.

"Lee-sama is out at the moment and shouldn't be back for a few days, so she has left me in charge."

Raiden nodded in understanding and wondered how much information she could get out of the woman.

"Where is Lee-sama?" The red head asked. Maya paused in her steps and gave the taller woman a hard stare.

"Out on business, nothing of your concern." The dark haired superior replied and waved her hand in dismissal. "Come with me and I will explain your position, but I have something to take care of before that." Maya said as she headed back towards the surveillance room with the fake Takuyashi at her heels.

"Have they returned yet?" Maya asked after entering the room and approaching the monitor displaying Alphard's house. Raiden had to supress a growl when she looked at the image of her friend's destroyed house. It must have been the damn Snakes that did it, if them watching the house was any indication.

"No, Shirou-sama, the targets have yet to return and no bodies have seemed to be found." Someone answered.

"What a shame." Maya supplied. "I'm sure we would have done a better job."

"Maya-sama, was I mistaken in assuming that you were the ones who attacked?" Raiden spoke up without being able to stop it.

"How did you know about that?" Maya turned suspicious eyes to Raiden and narrowed them.

"It is just obvious from the image on the screen that the place was attacked, and from what you have said there are a few people being targeted. When I saw that I assumed it was the Snake's doing, but it seems I was wrong. Correct?"

"Hmm." Maya nodded to herself. "You are very observant. That is right, we had nothing to do with the attack, and we were merely enjoying the show."

"And what a show it was." A commanding voice spoke up from the doorway. Raiden felt the atmosphere in the room suddenly stiffen and tense. It was as if a cloud of poison had suddenly bled into the air and constricted everyone's senses.

The red head turned to see who had arrived. Her eyes fell upon a woman shorter than her with long, curly black hair. Her eyes were cold and vicious, befitting for her malicious aura. She stood proud and tall and let her eyes roam over the room, surveying the area and reinstating her authority. Each person in the room bowed their heads for longer than necessary and no one uttered a word.

Maya, though greatly affected by the woman's sudden arrival, did not emit the same presence of fear. Instead what Raiden felt from her was surprise, slight disappointment, excitement and mostly carnal lust.

The woman took a step forward with her eyes fixed intently on Raiden. She allowed all the power and authority to cloud her irises with every step she took until she stopped right in front of the red head. Raiden didn't respond or falter, she merely returned the stony glare with one of her own. She could feel Maya's worry over her lack of respect, and could only imagine what the creepy woman would have said to her had they not been in the presence of their leader.

This had to be none other than Alexander Lee.

"You are?" Alexander asked in her husky voice.

"Minami Takuyashi, Lee-sama." Raiden offered a slight bow but kept her eyes locked with Alexander's. The shorter woman seemed intrigued by the lack of fear and submission. "I am a new recruit, Lee-sama." Raiden added and offered a curious lifted eyebrow. The images and energy she was receiving from this woman was almost overwhelming.

"My personal guard." Alexander stated.

"But Lee-sama, her position isn't–"

"Maya, I advise that you do not speak up unless you are spoken to, my dear." She offered a threatening smile to the now shaking Maya. "Regardless of what position she came here for, I order her advanced to my personal guard as of this second."

Maya could only bow her head and utter a soft, "Hai, Lee-sama." Questioning her leader would be a very bad idea.

"Everyone, we are set to leave in two days. Make all the necessary preparations before then and make sure all is ready." Alexander commanded and then turned to Raiden. "I will be meeting with my associates at a restaurant within an hour. You are to accompany me, Minami. Meet me outside after an hour and make sure you are ready." The curly raven haired woman ordered and then left the room without another word. After her departure there was a collective sigh of relief from the occupants of the room. Not only that, but the atmosphere had lightened and lost the thick, suffocating feeling that had nearly consumed Raiden.

"You are free to do as you please in this hour, I have work to do. Excuse me." Maya said to Raiden and then headed over to one of the main consoles.

Raiden released a heavy breath and then decided to wait outside until the hour was over. She would explore the place, but with Alexander being here she could not risk being caught and bringing suspicion onto herself. Once they returned from this outing and everyone had gone to sleep, Raiden planned to search for that lab, grab whatever she could and then escape from the place.

The red head pulled her phone out and dialled a familiar number. It only ran for a few seconds before it was answered by an amused voice.

"Might this be Minami-san? Or is it Taku-san?" Alphard said into the receiver after answering the call.

"Be careful, Alphard, I know where you live and I know how to use a knife." Though playful, the threat held a tinge of truth.

"Oh please Raiden, like I would let you defeat me." Alphard chuckled in pure amusement and then sighed. "But on a serious note, you're doing well. I see you've encountered Alexander."

"That woman is too intense. Al, why did you leave the Snakes to her? She has the ability to literally wipe out the entire planet if she wanted to."

"Really?" Alphard sat up in surprise, accidentally waking Canaan who had been using her lap as a pillow.

"Alphard?" The synesthete mumbled in a sleepy voice and looked up at her girlfriend now looking down at her.

"Al, was that Canaan? You're not naked in my car are you?" Raiden questioned in a threatening voice.

"Rai," Alphard clenched her jaw and thought of a few colourful insults when an idea came to mind. The raven-head covered Canaan's mouth with a finger to silence her, winked and then turned her attention back to her friend. "You should have told us before…" Alphard sighed dramatically.

"What?! Al, don't tell me…"

"I'm sorry Rai, but we had crazy sex all over your car."

"You're joking!"

"I'm afraid not. Look, even Canaan will confirm it." Alphard moved the phone to Canaan's ear and gave her another wink. The synesthete was still half asleep and confused. She had a good idea of what was going on but couldn't think of an appropriate response in this prank, so she said the first thing that popped into her head.

"Um… roof?"

"On the roof of my car? Alphard!" The former terrorist had to suppress hysterical laughter at her love's comment. As simple as the response was, it was brilliant for the occasion. She returned the phone to her ear and grinned evilly, even though Raiden couldn't see it.

"Shizuku Raiden, I am fucking with you. When did you become so gullible?" Alphard commented with a big satisfied smile.

"Geez, I didn't believe you but when Canaan said that…"

"She's still half asleep so she just blurted the first thing that she could think of." Alphard looked down at her lap and changed from smirking to smiling lovingly down at the white haired girl who had decided to ignore the conversation and go back to sleep.

"Anyway, you heard about my new job as her body guard. I wanted to call just to make sure that you knew I will be leaving with her in a few hours."

"I heard. We will stay here and monitor the house, but it's getting late. I don't like you staying there this long Rai."

Raiden looked upwards at the dazzling stars and let a smile of excitement brighten her face. "This is the most action I've had in years. I can handle this and I'll be alright Al, don't worry so much."

"I wasn't worrying," Alphard responded defensively and looked out of the car window. She and Canaan had taken possession of the back seat when the synesthete had grown too tired to continue surveillance. Alphard had offered to be her pillow.

"Yes you were. You care about me and you know it. I should go now before Alexander finds me sitting here on the phone."

"Okay. Be on the lookout and stay sharp."

"Love you too Al!" Raiden replied and chuckled. "Ja ne." She said and then ended the call.

Alphard lowered the phone and stared at the offending object resting in her palm.

"That red head…" She could feel her eyebrow twitch.

Meanwhile, Raiden sat back with an even brighter smile and remained staring up at the sky until she heard the garage door open and Alexander stepped out.

"We're leaving." The Snake leader stated.

"Hai, Lee-sama." Raiden followed her new leader and climbed inside of the Jeep. Surprisingly Alexander climbed into the backseat with her, while a driver sat at the wheel and an armed soldier sat in the second front seat.

They rode in silence as they exited the Snake's beach house and rode down a dark and empty road. Raiden looked over to the calm and somehow triumphantly smirking woman. She looked like she knew some big secret that she wasn't going to let anyone else know of, and that seemed to please and amuse her.

"Lee-sama?" Raiden spoke up.

"Yes?" Icy blue eyes turned to her, causing a shiver to run down the red head's back. That look alone held too much intensity for a normal person to handle, but Raiden wasn't a normal person.

"If I may ask, why did you return so early?" It was a question Raiden needed to ask. She kept getting strange distorted images from Alexander's energy, but could never decipher them. It's like the woman was hiding and protecting her thoughts from Raiden's ability, something that the red head feared. It had never happened before, but she had a bad feeling building up in her stomach. There was something very wrong about all of this.

"The reason for my leave fell through and so I no longer needed to remain there. I came back and changed plans."

Raiden concentrated and caught a slight glimpse of something, but it wasn't enough to give her a full picture. She swore she recognised that tiny bit of vision she was seeing in her mind.

"Where are we going?" The former assassin dared asking. In an instant she could feel the displeasure, yet intrigue, from the cold woman sitting beside her.

"Just to meet with a few business associates." Alexander replied in an even tone. She turned back to staring out of the window, signalling that any and all questioning was over.

Raiden sat back with a sigh, and wondered exactly what she had gotten herself into, and what the hell was really going on here.


	22. Chapter 22: Runnin'

Author's Note: Kon'nichiwa, minna-san! I am really sorry for the long delay in updates. I'm such a terrible person T-T but the holiday is over now and I've started writing again, so hopefully I can get the last few chapters done in shorter time. Thank you for bearing with me this far and I hope you enjoy the new chapter ^^ (Song by Cutline feat. Belle Humble)

Chapter 22: Runnin'

* * *

"_I keep runnin', runnin' from something within, taking its hold on me. There's a feeling inside I try to hide, taking control of me. This life that I've lived, the things I've been shown, they keep on driving me. Now I'm high with the clouds, lifting the doubt. Starlight is all I see."_

* * *

The sky shone with vibrant stars as the night approached midnight. Raiden sat stiff in the car, watching Alexander intently from the corner of her eye. The Snakes leader sat with her legs crossed and a focused look on her face. She also seemed to be calm and relaxed.

Raiden felt herself growing accustomed to the powerful aura the woman emitted, and soon she could let her tense body relax back into the comfortable car seat.

_Why am I getting comfortable? Her energy is overwhelming, but it's like she's suddenly growing warmer..._

The red head continued to sneak glances at the feared leader until they arrived at their destination. They were in front of a fancy looking restaurant, and Raiden noticed a few black vans parked beside them. She still had no idea of what they were doing here.

Alexander walked on a head with her three body guards following close behind. Raiden simply followed her into the restaurant and remained right behind her.

"Minami, stand by my side and remain silent. You are not to say a word unless I speak to you, understood?" Alexander watched her closely and only turned when she nodded in agreement. The Snakes leader looked to the men as well to make sure they knew that it applied to them too.

Alexander turned and headed off to the back corner of the room. She waved off a waiter who had approached and offered them a table, and stopped by a group of big, strict looking men.

The men simply looked her over and then gestured for her to take a seat in front of them. Alexander did so.

Raiden stayed by her right sight while one man went to her left and the other stood behind her chair.

_Geez, is this a high risk meeting or something?_ Raiden eyed the man sitting in front of Alexander. He had ash grey hair naturally spiked up, and unlike his black suited bodyguards, he wore simple white shorts with a blue button up shirt. He looked to be on vacation, but his expression and body posture indicated that this was purely business. Very important business.

The first one to speak was the man, who greeted the stony woman in front of him with a chivalrous smile. He spoke in Russian, causing Raiden to blink in surprise. She didn't understand the language.

To her surprise Alexander responded in fluent Russian, and leaned forward with her arms on the table.

The man seemed to frown at her words and replied in a displeased tone. Alexander leaned back and grinned wickedly as she started a long string of foreign speech. The man, soon identified as Mr Ivanov, listened intently with narrowed eyes. He clasped his hands together and rested them on the table before taking a deep breath and giving his own little speech after Alexander stopped talking.

This exchange went on for a long while, Raiden following what was being said only by looking into Mr Ivanov's thoughts and emotions. She could not get a proper read on Alexander and had since given up trying.

From his thoughts and emotions, Raiden could pick out that he was doing a deal with the Snakes leader. They were talking about weapons, and from the looks of it he wasn't very pleased with that Alexander was offering. She didn't back down, however, and seemed to push her point until Mr Ivanov waved his hand to signal the end of the conversation and stood from his chair.

Alexander gave him a predatory smile as she stood and took his outstretched hand. As they shook hands to seal the deal, Mr Ivanov grumbled compliantly and nodded his goodbye to Alexander. He waved to his guards to follow and left without another word.

Raiden was itching like mad to speak up and ask questions, but she knew that defying Alexander's direct orders would simply get her killed. This woman was not to be messed with.

"Get the car started and waiting for me, I will be done in a few minutes." Alexander said to her guards, having switched back to Japanese.

As Raiden turned to leave with the two men, a hand shot out and grabbed a hold of her wrist. Considering who the hand belonged to, the hold was surprisingly gentle.

"Minami, you stay. Relax and have a drink." Alexander removed her hold and pointed to the chair in front of her without looking away from her drink.

Raiden simply nodded and sat down, unsure of what to expect from the woman. She watched as Alexander called for a waiter and ordered two drinks. They remained silent until the drinks arrived and was placed in front of them.

"Do you drink, Minami?" The raven haired terrorist took a long drink of her second alcoholic beverage of the night.

"Not often." Raiden responded, taking her own, much smaller sip of the strong liquid. It burnt going down her throat and warmed her stomach. She had to resist the urge to cough.

Raiden really didn't drink much simply because she enjoyed being sober. With her ability and all, she could get quite out of control when she had too much to drink, and always ended up sounding crazy to anyone close by since she would rant about the thoughts and emotions she was feeling from other people.

"Thought so. With that body of yours you probably eat healthy and exercise every day." Alexander finally lifted her eyes to meet Raiden's. "Correct?"

"I... Guess." _Did she just compliment me? What the hell is going on here?_

"Tell me, have you ever worked for a terrorist before?" Alexander tilted her head to the side and grinned. The smile unnerved Raiden, because it was almost pleasant to look at.

Suddenly a wave of curiosity covered Raiden and filled all of her senses. The emotion wasn't from herself, but in fact from her new boss. It was as if Alexander had suddenly opened herself up to Raiden's ability, if that was even possible.

"In a sense, I used to work a dangerous job for anyone who needed me." Raiden replied carefully. It wasn't the whole truth since she didn't want to give any facts away, but she didn't want to lie either.

"I can see it in your eyes. The look of one who has taken many lives. Even those who leave the job and attempt a normal life will still have that look in their eyes." Alexander turned her attention back to her drink and silence fell over them once more.

Raiden didn't know what to make of this sudden conversation. Was the terrorist leader suspicious of her? Or perhaps...

"If I may ask, what made you ask for me to stay behind and have a drink with you?" It was taking a chance, but Raiden had to ask.

"Hmm," the shorter of the two smiled in amusement and signalled for the waiter.

"You pique my interest, to be honest." Alexander said. "I haven't seen a face as interesting as yours in a long time."

Raiden blushed the faintest shade of red. She hoped that her tanned skin would hide it and her strange companion wouldn't notice.

"Interesting? In what way?" Raiden raised an eyebrow and leaned forward challengingly. In response Alexander leaned forward too and stared right into Raiden's golden eyes. Raiden felt like the icy blue colour of Alexander's eyes had suddenly turned to fire and she was burning.

"It's not often that I meet someone who is as equally beautiful." Alexander said with a self-satisfied smile. Raiden couldn't help but smile in response and nod in agreement.

Alexander chuckled in amusement and leaned back in her chair. "And you aren't afraid to admit it. I like that."

Raiden couldn't explain the sudden excitement bubbling up in her chest. She couldn't tell if it was her own emotions or from Alexander, and not knowing frightened her.

"One more drink and we'll leave." The Snakes leader stated as the waiter finally appeared and took down their last orders.

Raiden looked down and stared at her empty glass in surprise. _I don't remember finishing it, but I must have..._

Another drink arrived beside her empty glass that was soon carted away. They remained silent as they finish the last drinks and asked for the bill. After paying Alexander stood and left the restaurant with Raiden at her side.

"Not drunk yet, are you?" Alexander asked after they had climbed into the car and started off back to the Snakes Headquarters.

"Of course not." Raiden replied unsteadily. She wasn't drunk but she did feel a slight buzz from the two glasses of strong alcohol. Since she hardly drank it had already affected her.

Alexander only offered a nod. She sat back in the seat and looked out of the window at the dark scenery passing by. Not much was visible since most households were dark as the occupants slept, but Alexander found interest in the dark, undistinguishable shapes only slightly illuminated by the street lights.

The rest of the ride remained silent and calm for most of the people in the car. Raiden closed her eyes to try and control the rapid beating of her heart. She didn't know why she was having a sudden emotional reaction and guessed that it was from the alcohol. Her chest felt hot and warm like liquid, and though it panicked her, it felt strangely pleasant.

Raiden snuck a glance at Alexander and regretted the move when her heart convulsed in excitement and her temperature rose.

_Goddamnit, what's happening to me?_

Raiden closed her eyes again and focused on taking deep breaths. She used her ability to close herself off and slowly felt the overwhelming emotion drain from her body. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when her heart calmed and she felt her emotions return to normal. Before she could evaluate what had happened though, the car stopped in front of the Headquarters and one of the guards opened the gates. They rode in slowly and then entered the garage.

"I will be at the lab for a few more hours. Keep guard around the house." Alexander directed at the men as well as Raiden.

"The lab?' Raiden question just as Alexander was about to leave through the door that connected the garage to the house.

"Yes, the lab. A place strictly off limits to you." Alexander replied in a voice filled with authority. All signs of friendliness had vanished as the woman standing in front of Raiden stared at her with cold eyes and a stern frown. Raiden just nodded and watched Alexander disappear through the door.

"Damn." Raiden muttered under her breath and turned when one of the men called to her.

"Here, you will need this. You can take the first shift, we will exchange after an hour."

Raiden took the offered gun from him and nodded. She listened to his explanation of where she would be guarding and then headed off for the front gate to begin her hour long shift, even though it was so late and she was growing tired.

After 20 minutes or so Raiden's cellphone rang, much to her relief.

"Hello?" The red head answered and looked around the area to make sure that no one was watching.

"Raiden, glad to see that you are still alive. That was some meeting, huh?" Alphard said over the phone.

"Al, I am glad to hear from you. I feel completely off balance because of that woman."

"Yeah, I was surprised when she asked for you to have a drink with her. Hey, did you feel anything strange from her?"

"Not really, other than not feeling much from her at all. Why do you ask?" Raiden kicked a rock around in boredom and listened intently.

"Well," on her side of the call Alphard leaned against the side of the car and looked up at the full moon. "Raiden, Alexander stared directly into the camera. It was almost like she knew it was there and that I was watching. Could she have found out about it?"

Raiden stopped walking and looked straight ahead. "That's impossible. The camera is hidden and she hadn't been near enough to touch it or anything. There is no way that she knows about it."

"Are you sure?" Alphard asked in concern and turned to see Canaan walking towards her.

"Very sure, Al. There's just no way." Raiden started walking again and decided to pace up and down in front of the gate.

"Okay, I'll end the call here. Canaan just brought some food and I'm starving. We will continue watching and observing how everything goes. Stay safe."

Raiden chuckled. "Alright, enjoy the food and stay alert! If I need my ass saved I want you bright eyed and bushy tailed. And by the way, Canaan will make a fabulous wife." She couldn't help but add. Alphard started spluttering in embarrassment and started cursing over the phone before Raiden chuckled again and ended the call.

"Alphard, are you okay?" Canaan gave Alphard a few hard slaps on the back to help her remove the food that had gone down the wrong pipe. The former terrorist coughed a few more times and then raised a hand to indicate that she was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"What made you choke like that?"

"Uh…" Alphard cast her eyes towards the dark woods as her cheeks burnt with a blush. "It's nothing." She said and went back to eating her noodles. Canaan narrowed her eyes and didn't believe Alphard's answer one bit, but decided to leave it for the time being. She opened the car door and climbed onto the seat, soon joined by her girlfriend, and together the two ate and watched the car monitor with interest.

Meanwhile, Raiden continued walking around keeping guard until finally the hour had passed and she was relieved of duty.

She hurried into the house and headed for the room her fake identity had been assigned to. As soon as she was there she took one look at the small bathroom and shower and undressed in a record of a few seconds. The red head sighed in delight under the hot water, and after relaxing and cleaning herself, she climbed out went to the dresser. She had packed a small bag that she had brought with her that contained the bare essentials.

She removed a pair of black boxers and a white t-shirt, preparing to get into bed and fall into a coma for a few hours. Raiden felt exhausted.

She made sure to fold the clothes properly so as not to move or damage the devices still in their hiding place. After shutting the light off she climbed into the surprisingly comfortable bed and shuffled around until she was comfy.

She was just about to fall asleep when a strange feeling came over her. Images began flowing into her mind, nearly blinding her vision. All she could see was gunfire and blood. As the images continued to play, Raiden sat up in the back and covered her face with her hands.

The sudden assault had her feeling like her head was about to explode, and after a few predictions concerning Alphard and Canaan flashed before her eyes, she shot out of bed leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

"Shit." She exclaimed in panic and clutched at her chest. "What am I doing?" Raiden realized that she had to try and find her way to that lab, no matter how tired she was. There was only one way to stop her vision from coming true, and she had to do whatever it took to make sure it didn't.

Without another thought Raiden left the room and snuck down the silent hallway. Most of the people in the house had gone to sleep, those that were up had probably been sleeping during the day and now took over the night shift.

The former assassin opened her senses until she found the location of the lab, and with a deep breath she headed towards the room at the other end of the house, near Alexander's room. It only took her a few minutes to reach the door, and when she found it she stopped to feel around with her ability again.

Before she could find anything useful, Alexander's door opened and the dishevelled terrorist stepped out into the passage. She stopped just outside of the doorway and regarded Raiden with surprise. Alexander didn't waist another moment being surprised and shot forward. She slammed Raiden into the wall, and despite her smaller size and height, she had Raiden quite trapped between her body and the wall.

"What business do you have here?" Alexander asked threateningly as she moved her face closer to Raiden's. The normally quick and alert red head felt frozen in place. It had all happened so fast that she hadn't been able to respond, and now simply just stared into Alexander's glaring eyes. "Answer me!" Alexander took a step back and then slammed Raiden into the wall again, knocking the wind out of her.

After a second Raiden recovered and looked up into Alexander's eyes. "I was lost, I apologise." She uttered breathlessly and flinched as her head pounded. That sudden excitement had filled her chest again and her breathing as well as her heartbeat increased.

"Is that so?" Alexander said flatly and pressed her body against Raiden's even harder than before. The action sent the red head's heart flying. The Snakes leader leaned in close until their noses were nearly touching. "I will ask again, what business do you have here?" The threat in her voice was obvious. If Raiden didn't answer honestly, she would pay dearly.

Raiden panicked. She was feeling extremely excited and terrified at the same time, without even knowing why. Her mind raced as she tried to think of some way to escape the position she was in, when she suddenly became very aware of the warm body pressed against her own, and Alexander's breath brushing over her lips.

Her next action was uncontrollable as well as the only thing the red head could think of to throw the Snakes leader off balance. She leaned forward and kissed her. Raiden didn't know why she was doing it, or how the thought had even been acceptable to her, but before she knew it she had taken Alexander's lips between her own. A second later Alexander's grip loosened and she lost her air of hostility.

_What the hell am I doing?_ Raiden questioned herself as she felt Alexander respond to her kiss.

_This is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this!_ Alexander took a step back and tugged at Raiden's shirt, making the red head step with her.

_No, this isn't right,_ Raiden's mind continued to race as she felt herself being pulled into the raven haired terrorist's room. She took a few more steps with Alexander and then stopped. Alexander pulled back and gave her a questioning look.

Raiden stared at her for another second and then tackled her to the ground. Alexander was about to respond with a punch but stopped her fist mid-swing when Raiden captured her lips once more, and this time started pulling at her clothes.

_I can't stop, I shouldn't do this. Why does this feel so good?_

The former assassin broke the kiss and trailed kisses along Alexander's throat before biting down on the side of her neck. In response Alexander shoved Raiden onto her back and straddled her. The darkness of the room was only broken by the moonlight shining in through the window, illuminating Alexander's face and her rakish grin. In one swift movement she removed her shirt, surprising Raiden with her lack of a bra, and then leaned down until their lips were almost touching.

The moment's silence was only broken by their synched rapid breathing.

"Let's see who can win the control, shall?" Alexander said softly, staring into Raiden's eyes. The stare was returned in full force along with a sexy grin.

"Challenge accepted." Raiden grabbed Alexander and stood, pushing her against the wall and pinning her arms above her head. The Snakes leader was taken by surprise and had no time to respond before she was captured in a heated kiss once more.

In the passionate moment the two managed to lose the rest of their clothing and eventually found the bed. They fell together in a sweaty heap of naked skin as each tried to dominate the other, and the battle for control continued.


	23. Chapter 23: Hollow Men

Author's Note: (Song by Kurosaki Maon)

Chapter 23: Hollow Men

* * *

"_A morning impurified dully, is starving; a night to be stained by the merciless dark. The orbit this planet goes into is destined to be a distorted circle, forever. I curse today I am living on, cause it's same as yesterday. The uncertainty of tomorrow, I fear for. At the moment I realized, it all had been collapsed. I do nothing but I stand frozen there."_

* * *

Golden eyes opened in surprise and glanced up at the ceiling bathed in early morning light. Shadows danced across the surface and caught the red head's attention as thoughts and images flashed across her mind.

"Shit." Raiden exclaimed in a soft voice as realization dawned on her and her stomach sank. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, too scared to look to her side but knowing that she had to.

After slowly turning her head to the other portion of the bed, Raiden sighed in relief when she was only met with an empty bed sheet. The relief only lasted a second as she registered the fact that she was still naked, and that she had no idea what the hell to do now.

_I slept with her, the enemy. How the hell am I going to explain this? Though it was-_

"I see you're awake." An unusually calm voice, filled with the familiar husky authority, interrupted Raiden's thought and came from the open glass doors that seemed to lead out to the balcony. A moment later the raven-haired leader stepped into the room wearing a black silk robe.

Raiden merely stared at her as she leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest and an unreadable expression on her face. All the red head wanted to do was jump over that balcony and never return. If only it were that simple.

"About last night… I..." Raiden's sentence died on her lips as she watched Alexander walk over to the bed and lean close to her.

"It's been a while since I've enjoyed myself that much, for that I thank you. But," Alexander shoved a bundle of clothes against Raiden's chest after she sat up, and straightened. "Get dressed, _Minami_." Her calm voice took on a dangerous edge and her frown turned into a wicked smirk.

Raiden simply jumped out of the bed and pulled her earlier discarded boxers and t-shirt back on, not missing the appreciative look Alexander shot her way while she was still showing skin.

She straightened after she was clothed and shifted uncomfortably while Alexander walked up to her and reached out to stroke her cheek.

"Because of last night I won't kill you." The black haired assassin said in a steady tone.

"Wait, what?" Raiden swallowed in panic and feared her cover was blown. Alexander's bedroom door burst open and two Snake soldiers walked in carrying Raiden's bag and clothes she had left in the room she should have slept in.

"You are fired, Minami. As a show of my mercy I am merely kicking you out."

"But why?" The bag and clothes were shoved into her arms and the men each took a hold of her upper arms.

"My direct order was to stay clear of the lab, which you disobeyed. I will not tolerate a blatant act of disobedience. You are lucky that you caught me off guard last night or you would be dead right now." As she spoke Alexander dressed in her usual black attire, and after signalling that the men could take Raiden out, she effortlessly slipped her long black coat on and made her way to the surveillance room.

Meanwhile, Raiden struggled in the men's' grip but allowed them to carry her out of the beach Headquarters and toss her out of the front gate. She stumbled and nearly fell but managed to find her balance and watched the big gate close.

"Damn." Raiden exclaimed and pressed her fist against her forehead with her eyes squeezed shut. "Damnit!" The red head kicked at the ground and then headed down the street to where her car and friends were hidden.

* * *

Canaan smiled in amusement at her dark haired lover fast asleep on the backseat of the car. Alphard breathed evenly and hadn't moved since the moment she had fallen asleep.

They had taken turns in who would sleep and who would keep watch but didn't stay asleep for long however, since they were both needed awake.

The synesthete looked to the car monitor and sighed. Raiden hadn't put the camera on after taking the uniform off. Canaan was starting to worry at the lack of communication. Before she could worry any further though, the sound of clumsy footsteps and a branch snapping made Canaan pull her gun out and instinctively point it at the person that emerged from between the bushes.

"Damn fucking nature. Why did we choose such a difficult place to hide? Damnit, this isn't my morning." Raiden slapped a branch that was blocking her path and shook her head to remove the leaves that had taken rest in her hair.

"Raiden?" Canaan blinked in surprise and put her gun back into its holster. She watched as Raiden waved distractedly in greeting and walked over to her car. "Why are you here in your boxers?" The white haired girl asked.

Raiden opened the boot of her car and threw the bag and clothes into the space with an angry huff.

"I was fired." She said simply in answer.

Canaan looked at her colours and knew that it wasn't the whole truth. She used her ability for a moment more before she got her full answer and gasped. Raiden felt the shift in emotion and the energy pattern of her thoughts.

"Raiden... You..."

"Yes..." Raiden put the extra clothes she had left in the boot on and sat down on the edge of it. "You already know the story so I don't need to explain." She folded her arms across her chest and looked down with a scowl.

"We should wake Alphard." Canaan said, not finding any other words to respond with. She was still in shock from the story Raiden's colours had given her.

"Yeah that's right, I was wondering why she hadn't mocked me yet for showing up here in my underwear." Now that she was properly clothed and had cooled down some, Raiden offered a smile to Canaan who looked distracted.

Deciding not to bother her, Raiden walked around the car and found Alphard fast asleep just as she had guessed.

"Oi, Mrs Badass, get up!" Raiden kicked Alphard's booted foot that was hanging over the seat. Alphard's eyes shot open and she flew forward with her fist ready. She grabbed at Raiden and only managed to stop her fist from smashing into her friend's face by an inch.

"Raiden?" Alphard blinked in confusion and then let the red head go.

"Since when did you start sleep attacking again?" Raiden replied and leaned against the car as Alphard sat up and moved to sit at the edge of the car seat.

The former terrorist ran a hand through her dishevelled hair to try and get it into some semblance of order but gave up halfway through.

"Doing stuff like this is bringing back some old feelings." Alphard replied with a yawn and then shook her head to clear it of the last remaining drowsiness. "But anyway, what are you doing here? Did you manage to get the Ua virus?"

Raiden took on a guilty expression and turned her head away from her friend's intense eyes.

"Well, you see..." She scratched the back of her neck in nervousness and wondered how Alphard would take her failure of the mission. "I kind of got... Fired."

"Fired?" Alphard responded calmly and waited for further explanation.

"Yeah, well... See, Canaan understands because she could see the full story. Last night I had those two drinks, right?"

"Mmhmm?" Alphard seemed intensely focused which caused Raiden to wonder if telling the truth was a good idea.

"Those drinks were strong and you know I don't drink so I was feeling a buzz, but not only that, I was feeling some hectic emotions from Alexander, I think."

"You think?" Alphard asked evenly.

"I couldn't use my ability properly, remember? And then after climbing into bed I got this sudden vision and decided to try and get into the lab."

"And then?"

"Well I got there but it's right beside Alexander's room, and she came out and caught me."

"Why are you still alive then?"

Raiden paused before she replied and gave Alphard an exasperated look.

"She had me against the wall, and I was already feeling all weird, and her... lips... were so close to mine, I just... k-kissed her." Raiden flinched at the end of the sentence, feeling the shame of what she had done.

"Did you only kiss her?" Alphard asked calmly. Most likely the calm before the storm.

"Well no... She pulled me into her room and I sort of lost control so we... Uh..."

"So you had sex with her?"

"Yes." Even though she had slept with the enemy, Raiden couldn't help but smirk at the memory of making the tough Snakes leader scream her name.

"I see." Alphard sighed and stood up from the car seat. "Where is Canaan?"

"What? Aren't you going to freak or hit me or something? Hello? I had a great time in Alexander's pants, shouldn't I be screamed at?" Raiden flailed her hands in confusion and just stared at her seemingly broody friend.

"We don't have time to play around. You screwed up Raiden, but I expected something like this with Alexander."

"You did?"

"Mm." Alphard walked off to find Canaan with Raiden right behind her. The synesthete was found surveying the area to make sure they were still unnoticed.

"Canaan." Alphard went up to her and wrapped her arms around her surprised girlfriend.

"Alphard?"

The raven-head rested her chin atop Canaan's head for a moment before pulling away and addressing them both.

"This means we will need to go with plan B."

"Alphard, are you sure? I mean isn't it-"

"No! We don't have time. The deadline is tomorrow. I will not let this fail." Alphard spoke with determination and looked at Raiden with seriousness. "We'll go to your house to go over the plan and then exact it tomorrow."

"Okay." Raiden bowed her head in acknowledgment. She could tell that Alphard was serious. There seemed to be something bothering her.

Without questioning it any further they all climbed into Raiden's car and the red head drove them to her house. Once there they gathered in the luxurious lounge and immediately started debating and planning out their next course of action.

They spent the entire day going over the plan and making sure every corner of the idea had been examined. Alphard decided that they were prepared enough and asked Raiden to fetch their supplies. The red head agreed and said goodbye to her friends after dropping them off at the path to Alphard's house. She then drove off towards town with a list of items they would need for their next plan.

Canaan and Alphard walked back to the former terrorist's isolated beach house in the growing darkness. There was a brooding silence surrounding them due to Alphard's bad mood, causing Canaan to worry but remain silent. She could tell that Alphard was bother by something and didn't want to mention anything, at least not yet.

When they arrived at the house Alphard went off to take a shower after giving Canaan a distracted peck on the cheek. Canaan was left to her own thoughts after her taller girlfriend closed the bathroom door and the shower turned on.

_Alphard, what has gotten into you? Do you know something I don't? _Canaan sat down on the couch but realized she was hungry, so she stood and went to the kitchen to make something for herself and Alphard. While she was busy with the food she wondered again why Alphard had gone from being cheerful before she had slept to seemingly grumpy after waking. Was it a dream?

As Canaan continued to worry over the matter, Alphard sighed heavily to herself and pressed her forehead against the slick shower wall. Hot water sprayed across her skin, too hot, but she hardly took notice.

_That dream…_ Alphard bit down onto her lip in an attempt to rid her mind of the images she had formed in a dream. The memory persisted and haunted her now even after so many hours from waking up.

An image of Canaan laying on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her and a smirking Alexander standing over her dead body filled Alphard's mind once more.

In anger Alphard punched the wall, ignoring the pain in her knuckles.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to her, even if it means risking my own life." Alphard said to no one but herself.

She eventually finished in the shower and entered the lounge just as Canaan had finished putting their dinner on the table. The white haired synesthete was so distracted that she hadn't noticed Alphard's presence and paused behind the chair Alphard would sit in.

Noticing this, Alphard silently walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Canaan didn't even jump at the surprise and merely sunk back into the warm embrace. Alphard's body curled against her own and warmed her body as well as her heart.

"I've made you worry." Alphard said solemnly into Canaan's ear. The synesthete shook her head.

"I understand. You got used to a peaceful life and now you're suddenly thrown back into terrorist business."

"I thought I had finally gotten rid of all of that bad stuff, but the name Alphard Al Sheya will always bring with it the violence and blood from the past. What I did will always hang over my head whether I keep it there or not." Canaan turned around in her arms so that she could look at her face. "But I vow to stop all of this so that we can go back to living like peaceful beach bums." At that Alphard smiled genuinely for the first time that day.

"That actually sounds really nice. I've gotten so used to lazing around with you that I don't want to return to killing people. I don't even want to touch my gun again." Canaan said and rested her head against Alphard's shoulder.

"We'll get through this, and then we can return to normal. We will go back to watching movies, hanging out with Raiden. She'll go back to teasing us and I'll end up giving her a smack upside the head. We'll go back to eating meals together, maybe making love on the beach-"

"No."

"No?"

Canaan pulled back and gave Alphard an amused smile. "Sand, Alphard, we'll get sand in places sand should never be."

Alphard chuckled. "Good point. We can always swim naked in the sea?"

"Maybe…"

"Not maybe. I'll get you to swim with me and then sneak attack you and rip your costume off. Then I'll get naked too!" Alphard grinned rakishly and nodded in satisfaction. Canaan playfully poked her stomach.

"Be careful, I sleep beside you and I can take revenge however and whenever I want."

"And how would you manage that?"

"Alphard," Canaan quirked an eyebrow. "You sleep like a dead person. I could do target practise in our room and you wouldn't wake up."

Alphard didn't reply and merely stared at Canaan in silence. Her amused expression had dropped into one of serious importance. Canaan worried that she had said something wrong and was about to apologise but stopped when Alphard caressed her cheek and smiled.

"You said _our_ room."

"Well, yeah… it is, isn't it?"

"It is, it's just wonderful to actually hear you say it. _Our room._" Alphard looked off into space for a moment, thinking over everything that had happened ever since Canaan had re-entered her life. She smiled again.

"This can be our house too. Once we get this trouble with the Snakes over with, we can fetch the rest of your stuff in Shanghai and you can officially move in."

"I would love that."

"I would too."

They stood there in each other's arms, silence comforting them. All they needed to make it the perfect night was to rid themselves of their latest problems, but that wouldn't be possible until the next day.

* * *

_Extra Note: Yay, another chapter done and another step closer to the end of the story ^^ I've realized that I've been very quiet concerning this story, so from here on I will be leaving extra notes just to talk about the chapter and to let you all know how the story is doing. How is that? You can get to know me better too ^^  
_

_So, firstly I want to say that the song for this chapter is the 11__th__ ED song of Highschool Of The Dead (I love HOTD, and I am deeply in love with Saeko, heehee) I like this song and decided to use it ^^ couldn't find any other song for this chapter that would give the right feeling. I imagine the song as the background music and this one felt like it would fit. I hope it does! If not let me know. _

_Though I'm not very sure, this story might probably reach 30 chapters. So there is still some way to go. __I've lost a bit of confidence in this story though, because I'm getting no feedback at all, but I'm writing on for those silent fans who read and love it but keep their enthusiasm to themselves (I used to be that person before I started an account, so I can understand) _

_So, if you enjoy this story and want it to continue, try and leave a review. They really motivate me, which is something I really need. I tend to get bored fairly easy and never finish my stories. –pause- damn, this is a long note. So I'll end by saying thank you for reading, all you wonderful people, and wait patiently for the next chapter ^^ hopefully it'll be done soon. _


	24. Chapter 24: Snake Eyes

Author's Note: A bit of a warning, there is some strong language in this chapter ^^ not thaaat much though, so just block your eyes when the cussing starts XD anyway, read on and I hope you enjoy (Song by Feint)

Chapter 24: Snake Eyes

* * *

"_And all you see are the cards that you can play, and you thought you'd get away with these games. And all you see are the cards held in your hand, and you thought that you had everything planned..."_

* * *

The sun rose steadily in the sky, hidden by a few single puffs of cloud before it peeked over the edge and finally allowed its presence.

Alphard bit down onto her lip until she felt the satisfying sting of pain and the iron taste of blood. She had been on edge for most part of the morning since she and Canaan had risen from bed.

Nothing the synesthete did to calm to raven-head worked, and all she could do was watch as her love paced up and down along the beach.

Canaan resisted the urge to go down and join her girlfriend but knew that she needed some time alone to think. Alphard hadn't been very open and seemed to be brooding over something. The former terrorist kicked at the sand in frustration, causing Canaan to smile in amusement despite her own worries and fears.

They were set to leave at 5 p.m. to hide and wait by the place until they were to invade the Snake Headquarters, but it was still only 11 a.m. The wait was driving the older of the two insane, while Canaan remained calm and collected.

The synesthete watched Alphard as she thought back to her past.

The Alphard in the past would never have done this. She would never have feared anything or anyone, and surely would never show signs of emotion if she did. The present Alphard seemed to be an angry mess.

For a moment Canaan missed the old, dangerous Alphard. The one that never hesitated to shoot anyone on sight. But when Alphard felt eyes on her back and looked up at Canaan, their gazes locked and the raven-head's smile brightened up what used to be an aggravated mood.

_No_, Canaan thought, _the old Alphard was broken and lost. I love how she is now._

"I'm sorry, Canaan." Alphard said the moment she had walked back to the house and climbed the patio stairs. She sat down beside Canaan on the top most stair and simply leaned against her.

"Are you scared?"

"No." Alphard answered in a strange tone. "I'm not scared at all."

"Then why were you pacing?" Though Canaan could have used her ability to see what was bothering Alphard, she didn't. It made her feel strangely guilty, so she tried her best not to use the less honest method.

"I just... I feel so angry like I could set anything on fire if I glared at it." Alphard covered her face with her hand. "I don't like this feeling Canaan, because I know what comes after this."

"And what... Comes after it?"

Alphard uncovered her face and gave Canaan a pointed stare. "The hot anger turns into chilled calm. My emotions will drain away and all I will feel is calm clarity, but I'll be numb."

"Is that how you used to feel?" In comfort Canaan slipped her hand into Alphard's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yes. I used to be so numb. It was like there was nothing inside of me. You were the only thing that ever evoked my emotions, which is why I never killed you from the start." Alphard, although wanting to flinch at the words, remained serious.

"So you fought me as a way to feel again?"

"Yeah," Alphard chuckled humourlessly. "Even though what I felt was anger and hate. Even some amusement at your desire for revenge." Her frown deepened. "Deep down I cared about you, but it scared the life out of me so I hid it and continued to let my arrogance grow. I had decided to play with you until I eventually got bored and then I would simply get rid of you."

"And then the train incident happened." Canaan said.

"Yes," Alphard smiled. "Hurt like hell when I shot my arm off, but that moment saved me. Even if you had pulled me back onto the train, we would have remained stuck in that vicious cycle of hate and revenge." Alphard tightened her grip on Canaan's hand. "When I finally accepted reality and came here to live peacefully, and maybe wash the blood from my hands, I never expected to ever see you again."

"Life has a funny way of doing things, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that's for sure. And then when I do finally see you again, the most amazing thing happens." Alphard put an arm around Canaan and pulled her against her side. "I fell in love with that annoying white haired girl."

"Annoying?" Canaan quirked an eyebrow.

"You were all moody and distrustful, like a teenager. Though I don't blame you."

Canaan was about to respond in defence but deflated and slumped against her girlfriend.

"I still haven't figured out how I fell in love with you, considering our past."

Alphard grinned and nudged Canaan's side. "It's because I'm so sexy."

Canaan snapped her head up and regarded Alphard with amusement.

"Wasn't it you who walked in on me showing first?" Alphard's satisfied smile disappeared as she looked away in embarrassment.

"I was half asleep, love." She thought back to that moment and blushed the slightest.

"Aw, don't look so embarrassed. Especially not now." Canaan gripped Alphard's chin and turned her face down towards her own. "Since there's nothing of me you haven't seen already."

"Heh," Alphard grinned. "And I'm the only that'll ever get to see you like that." Canaan nodded before finally leaning in and kissing Alphard gently on the lips.

As always, Alphard's hormones got the best of her and she ended up tearing Canaan's shirt. After hearing the fabric tear, Canaan pulled back and gave Alphard an exasperated look.

"Alphard, if you want to get me naked then _take_ my clothes of. You don't have to tear them all the time."

Alphard grinned sheepishly and then pulled them to their feet.

"Then let's get inside before some chance wonderer gets a full live show." While talking the former terrorist pulled Canaan towards their bedroom while removing their clothes. Eventually they made it to the room, leaving a trail of discarded clothes detailing their travel.

Deciding to block all other thoughts out of her mind for the time being, Alphard got Canaan onto the bed and then captured her lips for another heated kiss. Canaan raked her nails down Alphard's naked back and grinned when the raven-head hissed at the pleasurable sensation.

Alphard moved her lips and began kissing Canaan's neck, taking her time with each fluttering contact against the synesthete's flushed skin.

This was a perfect way to pass the time.

* * *

Raiden's eyes slowly blinked open. She remained still as her mind pulled itself out of sleep and memories returned to her. Looking at the bedside clock, Raiden noted that it was 16:45 and she had successfully slept the day away.

"Show time." Raiden said and sighed to herself. She climbed out of bed and slipped into the black outfit they had planned.

Since they were using the cover of night they were all going to dress in black and then sneak in. The plan was to get in, recover the virus and plant the bomb, and then retreat and get the hell away from the place.

The red head's expression remained impassive as she finished readying herself and drove to the street closest to her friends. Once there she parked the car and then walked to Alphard's home.

Upon entering the unlocked door, Raiden raised an amused eyebrow at the trail of clothes leading to the bedroom. She wondered if she would be traumatised by what lay behind the door, but opened it because her curiosity overpowered her instinct to protect her mental health.

"Alphard!" Raiden exclaimed and covered her eyes, regretting her disturbed curiosity.

"Oh, Raiden. Just on time." Alphard finished drying her hair with a towel and threw the damp object onto the bed. She turned and opened the cupboard to retrieve her clothes.

"You're naked." Raiden peeked between her fingers and made sure to focus solely on Alphard's face. It wasn't that she was attracted, not in the slightest; it was just too weird seeing her friend naked.

"Oh, sorry." Alphard quickly dressed and then went into the bathroom to hand Canaan's clothes to her. "Raiden is here so finish up quickly. When you're done meet us out by the car. Don't forget to lock up." Alphard said and placed the clothes on top of the sink counter.

"Thanks! I won't forget." Canaan pulled the curtain back and pulled Alphard into a quick kiss. It happened and ended so fast that Alphard could only blink in surprise.

"Hmmm." She mumbled thoughtfully and exited the bathroom.

"Okay, now that you're no longer in your birthday suit, let's talk."

"Did you manage to gather the guns?" The two left the house and headed for Raiden's car.

"Yipadoodle. 20 of them. And the bomb is set and ready, we just need to slap that sucker on anything we find, turn it on and run like hell." Alphard rolled her eyes at Raiden's exaggeration.

"You didn't do anything illegal to get the guns though, right?"

"Pffft, of course not."

"Did you have to flash your boobs?"

Raiden choked in surprise and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. At her friend's reaction Alphard burst into laughter.

"Probably not as much as you have to. And you do it willingly." Raiden's retort stopped Alphard's laughter and led to her glaring at her chuckling friend.

"At least I have someone to flash them too. Wait, I don't flash them!" Alphard grumbled something incoherent and hurried up to catch up to her red headed friend. "And does your lack of a denial mean that you actually had to flash to get those guns?"

"Hell no. I show the girls to no one." Raiden straightened proudly.

"Accept to me whenever you forget that I'm there." Alphard shook her head to rid herself of the memories.

"Hey, it's my house and I'm single, I'm allowed to walk around ass naked. You should have learnt to make some noise to let me know that you were there." Raiden shrugged at Alphard's disturbed expression and laughed.

"Why do you even go to sleep naked? I'm pretty sure whenever I was there it was just the two of us and I sure as hell didn't strip you."

"Hah! Like you could get this." Raiden wiggled her eyebrows and flashed a saucy grin. Her gift for the comment was a slap upside the head.

"She may be smaller than you, but if Canaan hears that she'll rip your eyes out."

"And your tongue too." Another playful voice added and joined the two surprised woman.

"C-Canaan!" Raiden exclaimed and scratched the back of her head. "Of course I would never insinuate Alphard and I being like that, ha ha ha, I was just joking! She isn't even my type. Being with Alphard would make us like a damn yaoi couple."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alphard questioned with a raised brow.

Canaan merely chuckled at their stupidity and pulled them both by the arm. "Sorry to interrupt you, boys." Both Alphard and Raiden sent Canaan a glare at the joke. The synesthete chuckled when she noticed.

They all decided to end the playful banter there and climbed into Raiden's jeep. The ride started comfortably silent, but as they got closer to the Snake Headquarters the atmosphere in the car dropped.

Alphard swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the dryness in her mouth. She felt sick. Much like she had before she and Canaan had spent the day doing much more… pleasant things.

The car stopped and parked in the hideout they had used for the past few days, and the three climbed out of the car. Alphard went around to the boot and opened it to reveal all the weapons that were purchased, and off to the corner sat the bomb.

"How powerful is that bomb?" Canaan asked softly.

"Powerful enough to destroy that house." Alphard guessed as she examined the object in question. From what she could see, it didn't look too powerful. So it wouldn't take out the whole neighbourhood, luckily.

"Alright, let's wait for night to fall and then gear up." The synesthetes nodded at Alphard's command and climbed back into the car to wait. In the meantime Alphard observed the building they were soon to break into through binoculars.

Everything seemed as it should be. The usual amount of guards walked around their designated watch posts, guns slung over their shoulders and sunglasses covering their eyes.

It didn't take long for the hours to slip by and 9 p.m. to arrive.

"Show time." Alphard gestured for Canaan and Raiden to head over to her, and once they did she handed them the required weapons. The ex-terrorist gingerly removed the bomb and placed it in a bag that she handed to Raiden.

"Your job will be putting that where we need it. Canaan," Alphard turned to her white haired girlfriend who paused in her gun examination. "I want you to take out the guards that would be most problematic for us. I'll head over to the lab to find the virus." Raiden and Canaan nodded. "Let's go."

Raiden shouldered the bag and followed her two companions to the tree covered side of the beach house. Canaan climbed the tree and jumped the wall, took the guard that had been patrolling the area out and then signalled that the area was clear.

Alphard and Raiden made no time in making it over the wall and shared a look with one another.

"Stay safe." Raiden whispered. Both synesthete and former terrorist nodded in consensus.

They split up from that point, Canaan making her way around the house to take all of the outside guards out, Raiden snuck in through an open window and Alphard headed to the backside of the Headquarters, where Alexander's room sat.

The Snake leader's room sat directly beside the lab, so entering in through that room would be quickest and easiest in reaching the desired location.

Alphard took a breath as she crouched down behind the balcony, and then counted to three and jumped over the railing.

There were no lights on and the room appeared to be empty, but Alphard crouched down beside the door anyway and strained to hear any noise at all. There was nothing, only eerie silence.

The former terrorist straightened and got to work on breaking the handle for the sliding door, unlocking it and gently sliding it open. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, pumping blood and adrenalin through her system faster than usual. She kept her breathing calm and controlled, as well as her hands. There was no way she was going to lose her nerve while being so close to success.

She hadn't done something like this in what felt like forever, so it felt both familiar and foreign.

Alphard secured the gun strap around her shoulder and placed her right hand against the handgun on her hip.

She stepped forward, tentatively and silently, eyes darting across each corner of the room. She distinguished the shapes of furniture in the room, and luckily, no bodily outlines. There was no one in the room.

Alphard breathed deeply through her nose and concentrated, letting her heart calm until it was beating slow and rhythmically. Her instincts and skill kicked in, washing her full of cold calmness and focus.

Senses sharpened, Alphard stepped to the door. A dim light shone into the dark room from the crack underneath the door, and after listening for what felt like forever, Alphard deduced that no one was close enough to the room to hear her.

The door barely made a noise as it cracked open and gingerly moved, allowing shallow light to fall into the previously dark room, bathing Alphard in an irritating spotlight.

Alphard swiftly shut the door behind her and darted over to the next door, pressing her body against the wall as she listened once more for any sign of people in the room. Again, it was silent.

Before Alphard could make her move she heard two sets of footsteps and masculine voices approaching. Like a ghost she shrunk back into the corner of the hallway and hoped that the shadows would shroud her in cover.

The men passed without noticing her tensed figure.

Alphard sighed in relief and hurriedly entered the lab.

It felt like she had been sneaking around for hours, though it could only have been about thirty minutes since she had entered the property. Time was of the essence. The more time they spent here, snooping around, the closer they came to a bloodbath.

They weren't carrying all these guns for nothing. If they were found or caught they had only one option left. Shoot and kill until they could escape and destroy the Snake headquarters.

But Alphard didn't want to resort to using brute force. She wanted to make this operation as silent and efficient as possible. It wasn't the fear of taking life, she was prepared to shoot every single person in the house, but she was terrified of losing Canaan.

There was a chance that Canaan could get hurt, or Raiden, and that frightened the raven head. She would never admit that she was scared, but the truth was that she honestly feared for their safety.

_This is what caring about other people feels like. I don't care what the hell happens to me, I only care about Canaan, and even that Raiden. _

All these thoughts ran through her mind as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness once more. Once it had, she stared in puzzlement at the empty room. Wasn't this supposed to be the lab, as Alexander had indicated when she had warned Raiden to stay clear of it?

But there was nothing. The only object in the room was a dirty looking rug covering the centre of the floor.

_Hang on…_

Alphard leaned down and pulled the rug to the side, revealing a hidden metal door. It was unlocked, which struck Alphard as odd.

If this was the real entrance to the laboratory, then shouldn't it have better security?

"Shitty security, is what you're thinking, right?" The voice slithered out from the darkness, making the black haired woman crouched on the floor coil back and flinch like she had been struck.

"Alexander!" Alphard hissed and retrieved her gun. She tightened her grip around the metal weapon and pointed it to the left corner.

Slowly, almost tauntingly, a hostile figure melted out from the blackness and stepped into the lighter dark.

"Long time no see, Alphard." Alexander smirked. "Now , now, is that an ethical way of greeting an old friend after a year?"

Alphard didn't respond. Her body tensed and she kept her gun pointed at Alexander's face. She felt all emotion drain from her body at seeing that smirk, all but one. Anger.

She felt the burning fire of anger start in her stomach and burn up into her heart.

Alexander remained calm despite having those cold eyes burning a hole through her soul and that feeble weapon pointed at her head. She sighed dramatically.

"No response? Did the life of a pathetic simpleton turn you into a mute, Alphard? Maybe you'll talk if your precious _Canaan_ is on the line."

Alphard moved. At the mention of her lover's name Alphard shot forward and threw Alexander into the wall, where she shoved her arm against her neck and pinned her there with all of her strength.

Alexander narrowed her eyes but her smile grew.

"What happened to Canaan?" Soft and lethal, like the poison from a snake's bite slowly inching through your veins, Alphard spoke. Even in the poor light she could clearly look into soulless blue eyes.

"Such an expected response. Though I'm surprised, Alphard. Who knew you were fucking her? I used to find amusement in your morbid obsession with killing that child, and now she's your bed mate?" Alexander said clearly despite having Alphard's tense and muscled arm pressing against her throat.

"Don't you dare fucking speak about Canaan like that." Alphard spat in vehemence. Though angered, she felt calm. It was oddly electrifying to be in close combat like that again. To feel the warm body of her victim trapped in her grip.

"Do you honestly think you have me trapped?" Darkening blue gazed into the eyes of her taller foe. "Do you think you outsmarted me?"

Alphard growled deeply in her chest and once more slammed Alexander against the wall with all of her strength.

It was the opening Alexander needed.

The moment her body left the wall and then returned to it, she grabbed Alphard's elbow, raised her knee and shot it into Alphard's stomach, and then slipped out of the grip and pushed Alphard against the wall with her arm now pulled behind her back.

"I am going to kill Canaan, and then after I see you break after she dies in your hands, I will kill you." Alexander leaned into her and whispered in a lethal voice.

"Watching you wait outside of this place for three days, sending that gorgeous idiot in here as some spy, and then planning a break in were fun enough. The real game starts now. My amusement is waning and I need to feel more excitement." She pushed against Alphard until the raven head grunted in displeasure.

"If you think I was fucking with you then you have an epiphany awaiting."

"Fuck you."

"Oh I'm sure you wish you could. Maybe I'll let some of my men violate your precious Canaan before I torture her to death."

"You stay away from Canaan!" Alphard clenched her jaw and struggled with all her might, but Alexander squeezed her elbow, causing a sharp pain to sizzle up her arm and down her spine.

"Maybe I'll even violate her myself, just for the hell of it." Alexander laughed sadistically when Alphard struggled again. She ignored the hatred filled words thrown at her, or the struggle of keeping such a strong woman pinned against the wall.

Alexander breathed deeply and concentrated, but she felt her body strain. She was not stronger than Alphard by much, and that small amount let her take the control for the little amount of time she had.

It was only a matter of time before the intense emotions gave Alphard the strength to retaliate, and then Alexander would really have to fight for her life.

"As much as I'd like to stay and play with you, I have a helicopter to catch and a synesthete to kidnap." In one fluid movement Alexander removed a syringe from her pocket and stuck the needle into Alphard's neck.

"You will faint soon," Alexander said as Alphard gasped and slumped against her. She released her hold and stepped back, allowing Alphard to slide down the wall and fall onto the ground. "I want my face to be the last thing you see before you go into unconsciousness." Alexander pulled Alphard's face up, making sure those hateful and angry eyes were looking into her own cold ones before Alphard let out one last strangled noise and passed out.

"You pathetic fool." The curly haired terrorist muttered and stood. She couldn't resist landing a hard kick against Alphard's side, and smiled when she heard the satisfying sound of a crack.

Sparing no more of her time she left the room and headed for the roof. There a helicopter, blades already chopping through the air, waited.

"Lee-sama, did you manage to kill her?" Natsume Yuri approached Alexander the moment she had appeared atop the roof.

The terrorist leader grinned at the bespectacled woman.

"No, I decided to change plans. Your intent on her murder is amusing, and granted, I wish for her death too. There is just a greater appeal in watching her suffer and squirm though." The dangerous undertone in Alexander's words caused Yuri to swallow.

"Our deal is still on, right? I give Alphard to you and you allow me to join in on the new Snake movement."

Alexander pursed her lips and tapped a finger against her chin. "Now see, I love how you tried your best to betray Alphard and myself at the same time, thereby succeeding in getting us to kill each other off, but…" She flashed a murderous grin. "You have outlived your usefulness to me." Without hesitation she raised her gun and shot Yuri right between the eyes.

The deceitful woman uttered one last cry of surprise before she fell back, blood pooling around her body.

"Irritating bitch." Alexander placed her gun back into its holster and headed over to the helicopter.

One of her men had Canaan, and looked like he planned to have fun with her before getting an order to do so. He had torn the synesthete's shirt open, revealing her black bra, and was busy lustfully groping at the unconscious girl until Alexander sighed in agitation and kicked him in the face. He flew out of the helicopter and landed against the cement roof with a sickening thud.

"Get me out of here NOW!" She shouted over to the driver, who gulped and hurriedly lifted the helicopter from the roof.

Alexander kicked Canaan out of her way and took a seat. She folded her arms across her chest and grinned, satisfied that her real plan had gone perfectly.

She knew from the moment Yuri had suggested a deal that the woman would do the same with Alphard and betray them both. Yuri had that mentality.

Alexander had watched as all the pawns around her ran around and made plans destined to fail. She grinned as her enemies grappled for invisible ropes while they ignorantly fell into the black pit of her power.

The amount of pleasure and satisfaction she felt at all of this almost gave her a sexual high. A warm tingle ran down her back and down to her toes, causing her skin to tremble.

She looked down at Canaan with a sadistic smirk.

"Now the fun truly begins."

* * *

Alphard struggled to breathe. Her head throbbed and it felt like she was underwater. The sounds didn't quite reach her straining ears. Her eyes felt heavy, and she struggled with great force to try and make sense of her surroundings.

When she had cleared her mind some, Alphard realized that she was moving. Someone was pulling her body and heavy breathing could be heard.

The smell of smoke and burnt grass filled Alphard's nose, causing her sinus to burn and itch at the assault. Her ears filled with the sound of roaring fire, and when she finally opened her eyes, she was blinded by sick, lapping flames.

She felt her breathing hitch and pause as she struggled to remember why she was in this situation. Alphard strained against her haziness and slowly raised her arm, palm out, reaching towards the roaring fire.

All at once the memories returned, and the scene in front of her cleared. She was reaching towards the Headquarters; now destroyed and burning.

"_Canaan…_" Alphard rasped and coughed as smoke filled her lungs and burnt her throat. "_Canaan…_" She tried again, still reaching, still staring, wondering how the hell she had missed the coming true of her worst nightmare.

For a split second she wondered if she had died, but then again, death shouldn't feel so achingly painful.

The person carrying her grunted and stumbled, causing Alphard's still numb body to fall and hit the ground, knocking what little air she found right out of her sore lungs. She saw white spots dance before her eyes, and couldn't stop from falling unconscious once more, even if she tried.

* * *

_Extra Note: Wow, I was in such a trance while writing the last half of this. The first half I finished a few days ago, and then ended up procrastinating until I finally got down to business and finished it. Whoop!  
So, about the song. I wanted to find a song that starts out slowly and then increases in pace, as does this chapter. Also the lyrics fit perfectly XD since Alexander knew about all of the deceptions from the start and used that to her advantage. Did you see that coming? I sure as hell didn't! ROFL.  
Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this, and please review to let me know if you did or not ^^ reviews keep my writing spirit going! And I procrastinate so much that I even procrastinate about procrastinating. True story. So, read, review and then carry on with life.  
Thank you for reading, minna! :D _


	25. Chapter 25: Rip The Heart Out

Author's Note: (Song by Adema)

Chapter 25: Rip The Heart Out

* * *

"_I woke up this morning and knew that the world would test me, come unglued. Is it me or do you feel my pain? This world makes my blood boil again. You rip the heart out of me; you rip the heart out of me. You make it look easy. Control and deceive me."_

* * *

"_You have outlived your usefulness to me." Following the impassive voice was a loud bang, a startled cry, and then a thud as a body hit the ground. "Irritating bitch." The emotionless and now partly irritated voice added. _

_Raiden held her breath and ran out onto the roof. She was too late, however, and could only watch helplessly as the helicopter ascended, taking Canaan with it._

"_Shit." Raiden cursed under her breath and hurried back down into the building. She had to find Alphard as soon as possible, and luckily she did. _

_Using her ability to the fullest she managed to find the only other energy beacon in the building, since everyone else had stopped fighting her and fled. That alarmed Raiden and told her to find her friend and escape too. _

_She found Alphard unconscious on the floor, in the room she thought was the lab. There was no time to ponder on it though, so she hauled her unconscious friend over her shoulder and used all of her strength to carry her out of the house. _

_A second after stepping out of the gate the house exploded, the force pushing Raiden forward. She stumbled and fell, cushioning Alphard's fall. They were both fairly equal in size, so the red head ended up in a great deal of pain when she fell onto the hard ground and then had Alphard slam into her. _

_She gritted her teeth and stood, pulling Alphard up with her again. After a few unsteady steps she heard Alphard mumble and then cough. _

"_Canaan…" Raiden's chest tightened when she heard the raw emotion in Alphard's voice. The distraction of her friend awakening, and the shift in weight when she reached towards the house caused Raiden's last shred of strength to slip away and she fell. This time she couldn't stop Alphard's fall, and all she could do was watch as her friend tumbled into the dirt and the darkness swallowed them. _

* * *

The fire continued to roar bright and angry. The orange flames lapped up towards the inky black sky, casting a dim hue around the surrounding area.

There were now multiple cars and trucks parked around the house, one fire truck with busy men and women attempting to control the inferno before it consumed the whole area.

Police and newspaper reports had arrived too, inspecting the area and searching for any witnesses. They found it strange that a house, if abandoned, was suddenly set on fire. The whole thing seemed suspicious, and this would surely make headline news for the few lucky reporters there.

In the darkness off in the cover of the trees Raiden grunted in pain and wrapped both of her hands around her left ankle. She heard a sound beside her and sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're up," Raiden said softly. "Be quiet though, the authorities are swarming the place. Despite our new start in life I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to arrest us on the spot if they found us and our reputations surfaced."

Alphard gingerly nodded so that Raiden would know that she heard and understood. Her head still pounded but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been earlier. Whatever Alexander had injected her with had really knocked her out.

"Is Canaan," Alphard attempted to speak and groaned. Her throat still burnt and felt raw. She let out a few coughs and then wheezed in pain. She grabbed at her side and curled into herself. Her ribs hurt. They were probably broken. But when did that happen? Alphard didn't recall actually fighting Alexander, so the injury must have been dealt while she was out.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Alphard, but Alexander took Canaan." Raiden placed a hand on Alphard's forearm and realized that she was deathly cold and shivering.

"Explain… everything…" Alphard managed and remained curled up.

Raiden sighed. "See, everything went perfect. I got into position and waited for the signal, but then I was jumped from out of nowhere by that Maya freak. I don't understand why I didn't feel all of this coming. I think Alexander found a way around my ability, because I didn't feel Maya at all before she attacked. I was so surprised that she managed to pin me down and got me in handcuffs. And then the bitch took the bomb."

Raiden breathed deeply to calm herself before she continued.

"By sheer will I managed to slip out of the cuffs and saw one of the Snake men carrying Canaan up to the roof when I ran into the hallway. I tried to stop him but then a whole army of those idiots came out and started shooting at me."

Raiden punched the ground and clenched her jaw at the stinging pain.

"I was so fucking close. Before I knew what was going on Alexander appeared, made some type of command and then disappeared up the stairs to the roof. The Snake men ignored me and all of them just left. Like I wasn't there. So I hurried up and hid behind the wall, and then I overheard Yuri talking to that evil snake. Yuri betrayed us, big surprise."

Alphard remained silent but flexed her arm where Raiden was gripping, indicating that she was still listening.

"I was about to rush out all badass like, but then I heard a gunshot. When I finally jumped out onto the roof, Yuri was dead and the helicopter was already in the distance. I knew that I had to get you out before that bomb went off and managed to find you. By the way," Raiden sighed deeply. "Alexander knew all along, didn't she? About everything?"

Alphard nodded. She uncovered her head and straightened, casting an emotionless look towards the burning flames in the distance.

"I should have seen this coming, damnit. Why didn't I?" Raiden resisted the urge to punch herself in the face. There she was, with an amazing ability she used to avoid situations like this, and they ended falling so perfectly into that simple plan.

"Raiden, I have a few broken ribs. Are you injured?" Alphard turned to Raiden, her eyes now filled with coldness. Despite the change behind her eyes, she still sounded concerned.

"I think I might have broken my ankle when you fell on me. After dragging you out the house exploded and I fell with you landing on top of me." Raiden remembered that her ankle still hurt a great deal, but the anger she felt at herself and at the world in general at that moment helped to numb the pain for now.

"Let's get to your car and head over to a hospital." Alphard said and sucked in a deep breath as she stood. Her side hurt, it ached and burnt, but she forced herself to stand and walk. She forced herself forward. The burning anger in her heart gave her the strength, and before she knew it she couldn't focus on anything other than the bloodlust and desire to kill the one person she now despised more than anything.

"Once they patch me up," Alphard stated in a breathy voice, but gritted her teeth and tried to speak with more clarity. "I am going to find Alexander, and then I am going to kill her."

Raiden stopped limping and watched Alphard's slumped form as she continued walking. The emotions rolling off of her were so intense that Raiden knew that when the time came, Alphard wouldn't just kill her, but she'd show her the true face of hell.

Alexander was strong. She was smart and powerful, but Alphard was running on pure emotion.

Hate. Anger. Revenge. All of that combined with the old Alphard, who was now steadily making her way towards the still hidden jeep, made for a frightening combination.

Alphard was no longer the friend Raiden knew. She recognized this person as the former Snake leader, as the true Alphard Alshua. What she saw frightened her, because the emotions swirling around Alphard were creating horrid and gruesome images in her head.

The energy was too much and Raiden had to shut her ability off. If she didn't she felt like her head would explode.

"Alphard," Raiden caught up to her friend. "Will you let me help?" They reached the car and slowly climbed in.

"Yes. I need your skill and ability. But do not get in my way. I will not hesitate to take you out."

The words surprised Raiden more than anything, but she managed a stiff smile.

"I'd like to see you try." She countered, and swallowed when Alphard fixed a hard stare on her. From that look the red head feared that Alphard would literally kill her there and then, but that hard expression subtly changed and Alphard responded with the ghost of a smile.

Her lips had hardly moved, but Raiden had seen the attempt. She sighed.

_Damnit, Alphard, please don't lose your head and kill me. _

* * *

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Each woman had thoughts and emotions rampaging through their heads, so even trying to start conversation wasn't a possibility.

Raiden kept running the events of the last few days in her head. All the signs were there once she focused on what to look for. The times when she couldn't read Alexander, when she had felt as if she was being emotionally manipulated, it's because she was. Alexander had controlled her emotions the moment they had climbed into that car.

Was their passionate night ignited by the Snake leader, though? Raiden remembered feeling strangely attracted, but couldn't identify if that was her own feeling or a product of Alexander's keen ability to deflect her synesthete ability. It was so damn frustrating.

They reached the hospital and made their way inside just as silent as the ride there.

Once they were properly inspected and patched up, Alphard paid the fee and they left for Raiden's house.

The red head had only suffered a twisted ankle, luckily, and a few scrapes and bruises. She was given directions to keep an ice pack on it and rest for a few days after having an ankle brace slipped on.

Alphard had two broken ribs. They bandaged her up, the nurses shifting nervously the whole time. The raven-head was not approachable in the least and projected an air of hostility and pure scariness. They endured it though and finished covering whatever Alphard needed covered, and then gave both of them pain medication and directions for recovery.

Raiden knew that neither of them would follow doctor's orders though, since Alphard was already on the phone trying to find a contact that could help them find Alexander.

Once at Raiden's house they went into the lounge, Alphard still making hurried calls. She used all of the power that she still held, which wasn't very much since Alexander had so perfectly taken the Snakes over.

The red head felt helpless and useless. But she did have a few contacts.

"Alphard, why don't you rest a bit? Your ribs need to heal and you look exhausted. The drug isn't out of your system yet. If you carry on like this then you'll burn yourself out." Raiden stood in front of Alphard and looked down at her with worry.

Alphard shot up and grabbed the collar of her shirt with both hands. Despite Raiden being taller, Alphard lifted the red head off of the floor and stared pointedly into her widened gold eyes.

"I will not fucking rest until I find Canaan!" Alphard shouted. This was the most emotional she had been since waking up earlier beside Raiden.

"Whoa, calm down Al. I understand. But hear me out," She raised both hands and worriedly eyed Alphard's ready fist. "I have contacts here and in Japan. While you rest I will call around and see what I can find. You don't want to fight Alexander in a weakened state, do you? I'm only concerned."

Alphard lowered Raiden back down onto the floor. "Fine. But I want you to wake me the second you have a lead, do you understand me?" Alphard shoved Raiden back and then made herself comfortable on the couch.

Raiden took no offence to the threat or the shove. She understood why her friend was treating her this way, so she felt no anger at Alphard at all. How could she?

"I promise Alphard, we will find Canaan. When we do I hope you get to Alexander first."

"Why?" Alphard had her gaze fixed on Raiden, wondering what the red head meant.

Raiden clenched her hands into fists. "Because if you don't kill her first, then I will." The sudden anger burning in her golden eyes made Alphard nod in satisfaction.

She knew that she should feel guilty for abusing her friend, but she really felt nothing but the anger. Nothing but the pure, raw anger and hate, and that achingly familiar breath of revenge. It gnawed at her insides, so much so that she felt sick to her stomach.

Her muscles kept tensing and un-tensing, following her unconscious desire to destroy something. Despite the fact that she had broken ribs, she didn't feel the pain. Her mind was almost numb with blind rage, but it helped her to focus and concentrate.

She had already planned out exactly how Alexander Lee would die.

And it would be with her own bare hands.

* * *

_Extra Note: There it is, a few steps closer to the end ^^ what did you guys think? If you listened to the song then you'll probably see that it goes well with Alphard's sudden change of personality. Yeah, her heart has been ripped out and now she's pissed. So the "old Alphard" is coming back. Let's see if I can put Alphard back into character, from how she is in the anime. She might still be OOC though considering the reason for her going all emo again, lol. But yeah, wish me luck and look forward to the rest! Do you think they'll ever find Canaan before it's too late? I hope so too…._

_Review, bitches! (Just kidding, I love you all, you're not bitches, I swear, ROFL) Thank you for reading ^^_


	26. Chapter 26: Whisper

Author's Note: So, I've been having a problem. See, I try hard not to put the spotlight on Raiden too much, because I've noticed that some people really hate OC's, and I don't want people getting annoyed because of Raiden, or Alexander for that matter. If I use them too much when I should focus more on Alphard and Canaan, could someone let me know? Just a review or PM would really help. I write this for you guys, so I need to know what you want ^^ anyway, go on and read and I hope you enjoy. (Song by Evanescence)

Chapter 26: Whisper

* * *

"_Fallen angels at my feet. Whispered voices at my ear. Death before my eyes. Lying next to me, I fear. She beckons me, shall I give in? Upon my end shall it begin? Forsaking all I've fallen for, I rise to meet the end. Don't turn away, don't try to hide, don't close your eyes, don't turn out the light."_

* * *

Alphard managed to get an hour of sleep before she woke up. Her body, despite going through hell, hummed with adrenalin and anticipation. Her instincts were still on high alert and her chest tightened with anger, forcing her out of sleep and into high alert.

_Canaan…_ Alphard sat up on the couch and covered her face with her hands. She couldn't feel anything other than the anger and desire to shoot something.

It was already 3 a.m. and she should have been tired. She hadn't eaten since the afternoon before, with Canaan, yet she didn't feel hungry. Even her body wasn't aching in pain but instead aching for some type of violence.

Alphard was determined to find Canaan, no matter the means. She would do everything in her power and beyond to find the synesthete that she had come to love so much, and she would kill every single person involved with her kidnapping.

Those idiots had no idea the beast they had awaken.

"Al," Raiden returned to the lounge from where she had been on the phone out at the back during the past hour and retrieved her laptop. "I managed to get into contact with an old informant. She's here for some other business and agreed to meet with me. Apparently she has some information on the Snakes." As she spoke Raiden sat down beside her emotionless friend and pulled up the browser on her laptop. She typed in some words and then waited a few seconds as the search engine pulled up the information she needed.

"She looks tough." Alphard commented after glancing at the digital newspaper article covering the screen.

"She made big news in Japan. Damn employers leaked her information. She's a spy. Many people hire her to infiltrate businesses or high up groups to gather secret information. It goes from gangs to companies." Alphard simply nodded and watched as Raiden shut her laptop off and put it on the table.

"Let's go." Alphard didn't waste time in asking for the details, she simply headed to the door and walked out of the house towards the red head's car. Raiden followed silently.

After climbing into the car Raiden drove off, neither breaking the silence until they reached a red light and Raiden turned to Alphard.

"You need a gun." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, so Alphard didn't respond. Raiden opened the glove compartment and pulled an expensive looking gun out. She wordlessly handed it to her friend and then drove off when the light turned green.

Alphard glanced at the weapon, nodded in satisfaction and then stuck it into the waistband of her black pants. She returned to staring out of the window, watching the dark scenery flash by.

It didn't take much longer before they stopped at a shady looking warehouse and got out of the car.

"This seems suspicious." Raiden observed. Alphard shot a glare at her, stating with her eyes that her statement was more than obvious. Raiden simply shrugged. The red head was still trying to get used to this strange cold and unemotional Alphard.

They walked on silent feet into the dark warehouse with their hands resting on their guns. The place was silent, save for a random metal clank off to some part of the building. It was dark except for a dim light flickering at the back.

"This way." Raiden waved at Alphard to follow and headed confidently towards the light.

They stopped by a table surrounded by three chairs and glanced around. Suddenly a shadow appeared from the darkness on the edge of the light.

Surprising the red head, Alphard shot forward and in seconds had the figure pinned to the wall with her gun pressed against the person's temple.

Raiden gulped. She hadn't even seen Alphard move.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm the informant. Get the hell off of me!" The woman growled and struggled under Alphard's painful grip. After receiving a pat on the shoulder from Raiden, Alphard released the woman and went over to the table.

She pushed one of the old wooden chairs back and sat down with a frown on her face and the same coldness in her eyes. She leaned forward ad rested her arms on her legs, her gun dangling threatening from her fingers.

"Talk." Alphard demanded, staring plainly into puzzled brown eyes.

"Raiden, you warned me but I didn't expect _this_." The woman turned to the red head in anger.

Raiden sighed. "Just tell us what you know, please? We don't have time to waste and Alphard will only get worse the longer we take."

"Damn, I don't even want to imagine what worse than _that_ is." The woman walked over to the table and took a seat at the far end of the table, as far from Alphard as possible.

"It's just like you to choose such a creepy place to meet." Raiden commented with a shiver and sat down between the two moody women. She wasn't scared, the place just creeped her out.

"Just like old times." The informant winked and gave Raiden a grin, but dropped it when Alphard cleared her throat in annoyance. "Right, let's get down to business."

Raiden scooted forward and Alphard locked her steel eyes onto their informant, commanding her to spill every bit of information she had.

The woman swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze. She sighed.

"Be glad you saved my ass the one time I failed in a mission, Raiden, or I wouldn't do this."

"Yes, yes, now what do you know?" Alphard hissed and kicked the leg of the table, causing it to shake and crack due to its frail condition.

The informant sighed again. "Alright! Geez. I heard from some Snake buddies that they suspect a spy."

"You?"

"No, I'm employed by the Snakes for spy purposes, I'm not actually in there to spy on them. I'm not suicidal. Have you seen that Alexander woman?" Alphard's eyes darkened at the mention of the name. The informant noticed and shifted in her chair again. "Anyway! They said that this guy is paid by different people to leak info about the Snakes. My bet is, if you can find him and use your walking bull here to scare him shitless, he'll tell you whatever you need to know."

"Who is he?" Alphard asked, emotionless and seemingly void of interest, but her eyes held them with the intensity and focus.

"Sadly I don't know. This man has managed to keep his identity hidden. I don't think it will last for long though."

Alphard sat back and thought. "Alright, that's all we need to know." She stood from the chair, uncaring that it toppled over in the process.

"Alphard?" Raiden questioned, wondering why her friend was suddenly grinning sadistically.

"Friends of yours?" Alphard asked in amusement and pointed her gun towards the wall of the warehouse. She squeezed the trigger and shot off one bullet. The loud bang soon followed the sound of a thud.

"What the...?" The informant followed them out of the warehouse and around to where Alphard had shot.

There, now dead and in a pool of blood, was a man slumped against the wall. He was completely covered in black clothing with a sniper rifle resting on his lap. There was a small hole in the wall, beside Alphard's bullet hole, where he must have been planning to use his gun.

"Damn! How did you notice that?" The informant bent down and felt for a pulse to confirm his death, and nodded when one wasn't found.

"I saw a flash of light." Alphard responded. She stood and looked towards the grey horizon. The sun was beginning to rise. "Are there people after you?"

"Well yes, but it's all part of my job. You should probably get going now before that car gets any closer." The informant inclined her head towards the spec in the distance.

Two lights bobbed up and down, and sure enough, it was a car.

"Let's go." Alphard turned and headed back to the car without another word.

"I'm sorry about her."

"What's up with her anyway?"

Raiden sighed. "I can't tell you, but she does have a very good reason for being like this." Raiden gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for the help. Don't get killed, okay?"

"Oh please, if you couldn't kill me then no one can." The informant winked. Her heart started pounding as the car in the distance drew closer. She just loved the adrenalin and action.

"Take care." Raiden waved over her shoulder, climbed into the car with Alphard and hurriedly left the way they had come. They were just outside of Mosel Bay.

"Where to now?" Raiden asked and remained focused on the road.

"Take me to my house."

Raiden spared a quick glance.

Alphard looked exhausted. The dark circles under her eyes were starting to show and even her darkly tanned skin looked sickly and pale. Were her ribs aching again? Raiden sighed for what felt like the millionth time. She wouldn't mention anything. Not that asking would get her an answer anyway.

Alphard felt eyes on her but Raiden had already looked away when she turned her head. The former terrorist knew that her friend was worried about her, and was quite surprised that she hadn't asked why she requested to be taken home, but she didn't much care and simply folded her arms across her chest.

She closed her eyes. Maybe getting some sleep for the ride back would help, which would take about an hour if Alphard's home was the destination.

Alphard's ribs were starting to ache and the more she breathed the more they throbbed. She ignored it as best she could.

There was nothing that could stop her from finding Canaan. Not any person, not any circumstance, and sure as hell not a few damn broken ribs.

The raven-head slumped against the car seat in exhaustion, finally admitting to herself that she needed rest.

The ride was oddly comforting to Alphard, who clenched her hands into fists as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Raiden grumbled to herself when she noticed Alphard asleep. She missed her friend, even their mindless and idiotic bantering. Though she felt lonely, she was relieved that Alphard was getting some more rest.

It was worrying her how Alphard disregarded her own condition and pushed herself so hard. But then, that's just how Alphard was.

The red head put the radio on and turned the volume down, just to have some sort of noise going on other than the dirt skidding out from under the tires outside of the car.

They arrived at the spot where they would have to walk to Alphard's house at 6 a.m.

The moment the car came to a halt, Alphard opened her eyes and silently climbed out of the car. She headed for the trail and followed it until her house came into view.

The sight made her pause and stare.

It was still in a state of destruction. The house she had worked so hard on, with her own hands, sat solemnly in front of her, littered with holes.

She swallowed hard as she entered the front door and walked through the mess. Everything was still strewn across the floor. Items and broken glass all coated the ground, causing their footsteps to crunch as they strode.

Raiden could see the emotion returning to Alphard's face, the pain in those eyes and the hard line of her lips. She could tell she was refraining from lashing out.

Alphard went into the room she and Canaan shared and opened the only remaining cupboard door. There she crouched down and revealed a safe hidden in the ground. Raiden watched as she opened it and pulled a few items out.

"I think," Alphard spoke, "that I know who that man is." She stood with her recovered items and walked over to the bed, placing it all down.

There was her gun, the one she had used in the past. It looked dusty but in good condition, despite having been locked away until now. Besides that there was a stack of papers that Alphard began paging through.

After the first few produced no results Alphard growled in agitation and threw the bundle against the wall. It frustrated her more when she felt no satisfaction from the action.

"Canaan met with a man when she came here, do you remember?" Alphard straightened and faced Raiden. The red head stumbled back in surprise, because for a second, Alphard appeared taller than her. The former assassin wasn't used to someone being bigger, in more than just height.

Alphard watched her with detachment, but wondered why she had stepped back. She shrugged it off as Raiden just being an idiot.

"What was his name?"

"That's what I was searching for." Alphard said and glanced down at the scattered papers.

"I think I remember something... Uh... Yoshino, wasn't it? Or, uh..." Raiden nibbled on her lower lip in thought.

"Yukino." Alphard said in sudden remembrance. She remembered when Canaan had retold the tale of meeting the snitch.

"No second name?"

"No. But we at least have a name. Is there someone you can contact?" Alphard walked out of the room with Raiden following.

"I have a friend I can call, yeah. Are you hungry?"

Alphard grunted in reply. Raiden didn't know if that was a yes or a no so she shrugged her shoulders and smiled her usual cheerful smile.

"Let's head to my place and then I'll make food."

Alphard didn't respond at all this time and just walked back to the car. Raiden followed with a worried frown.

They drove to Raiden's home in silence. Alphard seemed darkly agitated, which was worse than her earlier lack of any emotion at all.

Meanwhile, Alphard fought the urge to jump out of the car and rampage through the town until she found that Yukino worm and beat the information out of him. All of this waiting and investigating was grating on her nerves.

She wanted to find Canaan and she wanted to do it immediately. The only person keeping her under some semblance of control was Raiden, even if the red head had no idea of that.

Her presence helped to calm Alphard, which wasn't much since she was still quite upset and the desire to shoot someone had only intensified.

Alphard hoped that this new lead would get them somewhere productive, because her withdrawn and controlled attitude was not going to last long.

Her anger wanted to explode, and it wanted to destroy everything in its path.

* * *

_Extra Note: Well, I don't have much to say here, other than review! ^^ Reviews keep me writing much sooner than if I never get any. True story. As always, thank you for reading and look forward to the next chapter ^^ _


	27. Chapter 27: Frozen

Author's Note: (Song by Celldweller)

Chapter 27: Frozen

* * *

"_Inside this fantasy it seems so real to me. Synthetic ecstasy, when her legs are open. True life behind the wall, where men and angels fall. A fading memory, when my mind is frozen. I am in the only place I want to be, though we know that it ends eventually. But it's alright 'cause right now, we're frozen."_

* * *

Steel blades sliced through the air in a controlled rhythm, carrying the big machine under it through the air and towards its desired location. The early morning darkness had fast been swallowed by the bright sun as it ascended in the horizon. The air was pleasantly chilly, not too cold and not too humid. Salt still clung to the wind, giving any person a lung full of salt tinged air.

Alexander looked at her watch. It was 7 a.m.

She was hoping they would have reached her real Headquarters by 5 a.m., before Canaan had a chance to rouse from her unconsciousness. But they were late and now Alexander had red eyes glaring holes right through her. It was annoying.

Alexander sighed and crouched down by Canaan, who had been tied to the wall of the helicopter none too lightly, and grabbed the synesthete's jaw. "If you don't stop looking at me with those damn defiant eyes then I will toss you out of this helicopter." They exchanged death glares as the loud chopping from outside made it difficult to properly converse.

Canaan said nothing. She refused to speak.

"Oh? Think you're being all mighty now, eh, Canaan?" Alexander chuckled humourlessly and shoved the smaller girl back against the wall, smiling slightly at the satisfying sound of Canaan's skull smacking against the metal. The force of the blow knocked Canaan out again, relieving Alexander for the moment.

The Snakes leader felt her heart jerking in excitement, pumping blood through her veins faster than normal and causing her body to throb. She was excited. So extremely excited. The adrenalin was almost too much. If Canaan hadn't been knocked out again, Alexander feared that she would have taken her excitement and anger out on the white haired girl.

But she had to wait. It wasn't the time to start with Canaan's treatment. The time would come. But Alexander's hands shook and she felt increasing hunger for violence. Maybe when they finally arrived she would get one of the men to spar with her to control this excitement threatening to burst.

It would be too boring if she accidentally killed Canaan now.

Alexander folded her arms across her chest and moved her leg restlessly, feeling annoyed with her antsy behaviour.

"Lee-sama," The helicopter pilot spoke into the microphone. "We have reached Durban HQ, please prepare for landing." The helicopter shifted as the pilot turned and started descending towards the building at the beach.

Alexander sighed in relief and grinned. Finally.

Skilfully, the pilot manoeuvred the helicopter and then safely landed on the roof top where a number of soldiers waited to greet their leader.

After the blades had slowed and the noise had died down, the terrorist untied Canaan, hoisted the still unconscious girl onto her shoulder and jumped down from the helicopter.

"Lee-sama." The 3 men and 2 women soldiers greeted in respect and all bowed. Alexander nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll need rooms prepared. One for this girl and then another for interrogation. I need it done within the hour." Alexander spoke to the men, who nodded and headed off to fulfil the order. "You," she pointed to one of the women. "I want you to take this," she tossed Canaan at the woman who caught the synesthete with a surprised gasp, "and chain her up once the room for her is complete. Do. Not. Let. Her. Escape." She eyed them pointedly. "You," she pointed at the second woman, "can follow her to make sure this girl doesn't wake. She may look harmless but she's probably stronger than both of you combined." The second woman straightened and bowed in acknowledgment.

"Hai, Lee-sama." The two soldiers said in union and headed off.

Alexander blew out a strong breath and ran a hand through her dishevelled black locks. "So far all is according to plan." She whispered in satisfaction and walked to the stairs that led down from the roof. She walked down 2 flights of stairs until she reached the third floor and went to her office.

The building that housed the real Snakes Headquarters was a 5 story corporate building. From the outside it simply looked like a normal company, and the name of it misled most to believe that it was an IT company.

Alexander had spent a lot of time and money building the place up. She planned to slowly grow her organisation as a faux tech company, erecting buildings all over the country and soon, the world. Then she would take over full control and the modern world would belong to her.

It was a grand plan, sure, but she had all the confidence in herself to actually do it. If she failed then she simply died. That was her fate. She would not let herself be captured and preferred death over imprisonment. Alexander Lee was not born to rot away in a cell. She was born to rule the world.

"Lee-sama." Maya entered Alexander's office and found her boss standing against the wall length window. She had her body leaning against the glass with her eyes cast towards the horizon, calculating and thoughtful.

"Maya." Alexander walked over to her office chair and sunk down against the soft, leather seat.

Maya went over to Alexander and stopped behind her chair. She placed her hands on her leader's stiff shoulders and gently massaged the tense muscles. "Wow, Lee-sama, your shoulders are so tense." Maya hardened her grip and used her thumbs to knead the muscled knots. Alexander moaned softly in contentment.

"That feels wonderful." Alexander said softy with her eyes closed.

"Well," Maya moved her hands forward and encircled Alexander's neck with her arms. "I know something," she leaned forward and gently nibbled on Alexander's earlobe, "that will feel even better."

Alexander allowed Maya's sensual actions and grinned predatorily to herself. A moment more of Maya's soft kisses against her fluttering pulse point and then Alexander pulled Maya around the chair and onto her lap.

"Oh really? Well, you better apply then or you'll make your boss very unhappy." Alexander slid her hands underneath Maya's shirt and gently grazed her fingertips against the burning hot skin.

"Hai, Lee-sama." Maya breathed and allowed Alexander to pull her shirt off and then capture her in a fiery kiss.

The sun rose higher in the sky as late morning approached, and after relieving themselves of some pent up sexual frustration, Alexander stood up from the floor and shrugged back into her white button up shirt after putting her sports bra on. She then pulled her boxers on and then her pants afterwards.

"You're as wild as always, Maya." Alexander said and glanced at the relaxed figure still sprawled out on the floor, covered in her jacket.

"Hai, Lee-sama. It's all for you." Maya responded with a bright smile. She felt incredibly satisfied with herself after the last hour of activity.

Alexander grunted in agreement. "Mm. Anyway, get dressed and head back to surveillance. We should be expecting a few guests soon and I want to be prepared."

Maya's eyes darkened, unknown to her boss. "You mean that red headed slut and the failed Snakes leader?" She stood and crossed her arms. "How can you be so sure that they will even come? That white haired bitch doesn't seem worth much to me."

Alexander had frozen the moment Maya's snide comments had started. She turned, slowly, and straightened to her full height. Though she wasn't as tall as Alphard or Raiden, she still towered over most.

"Maya," she said coldly and fixed hard eyes on her second in command. Alexander stepped forward and in one fast motion pushed Maya backwards until she had her against the wall with her strong hand wrapped around Maya's neck.

"Know your place, you disobedient little slut." Alexander snarled. "I fuck you. You don't fuck me. Understand the difference." She tightened her grip, shoved Maya into the wall and then let her go. "Leave my sight." She waved towards the door and glared.

"H-hai, Lee-sama." Maya rubbed at her sore neck and hurriedly collected her clothes. She started dressing but froze when a hand connected with her cheek and her head snapped back at the force of the slap.

"I said fucking leave. Did you not hear me?" Alexander roared. "Get out!"

Maya shivered in terror, covered her bleeding mouth with her shaking hand and ran from the room, naked and all. The door slammed shut behind her.

Alexander flexed the hand she had struck across Maya's face and blew out a long breath. She shook her head and then continued dressing. It felt good to remind people who was in charge.

Maya had gotten cocky. She thought that because Alexander took her to bed, she had some sort of control. This infuriated Alexander, and she refused to let it continue. It had amused her at first, and Maya really was good with her tongue, so Alexander decided to leave it. But Maya had obviously gotten too arrogant and needed to be put back into her place.

Now fully dressed, Alexander left the room and climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor. She approached one of the guards.

"Is the room ready?" She asked the man who had been patiently waiting since he had followed the order and set the rooms up.

"Hai, Lee-sama!" He stood still and tall, not looking at Alexander's face. The merciless beauty frightened him.

"Is the girl chained up?"

"Hai, Lee-sama!"

"Wonderful. Take me to the room." She ordered. The man nodded and turned. He started walking towards the back of the floor and approached the very last door in the passage.

"Here, Lee-sama." The man said and swung the door open.

Canaan snapped her head up when the door opened and regarded the two figures with burning red eyes. Alexander grinned and entered the room.

The synesthete had been chained around her torso with her arms handcuffed behind her back. She had a single chain wrapped around her neck and the other end chained to a ring in the wall. The scene of the white haired girl chained up like a dog was wonderfully shameful.

"Leave me." Alexander waved the soldier off and waited for him to leave and close the door behind him. "Canaan," Alexander said and locked her gaze onto Canaan's defiant and unafraid eyes.

The synesthete didn't speak, she merely stared.

"I have a few questions to ask before I get down to your treatment." Alexander sat down on the chair that had been placed in front of Canaan and crossed her legs. "So, Canaan, who would have thought we would end up here?" The raven haired terrorist asked with a satisfied smirk. "Well, I did." She answered her own question.

"But," Alexander leaned forward and gave Canaan an honestly curious look. "I really never expected Alphard to end up... _b__eing_ with you." She steepled her fingers and thought silently for a few minutes. "That sure was a great surprise. And not to my delight." Her voice deepened and her eyes darkened. "But, this has worked to my advantage. Simply killing Alphard while she was unaware would have been so boring. Having you here gives me the ultimate advantage." Alexander stood and knelt down in front of Canaan, who still hadn't spoken a word or looked away from Alexander's icy blue eyes.

"I will get to destroy you in front of her and then..." She roughly grabbed Canaan's jaw and leaned closer. "I will destroy her." Alexander ignored those angry eyes and surprised Canaan by kissing her forcefully. Canaan struggled and refused to let Alexander take advantage of her. The Snakes leader pulled back and chuckled.

"Ah, I see where her interest lies now." She looked pointedly into Canaan's eyes and grinned. "Instead of getting my men to violate you, maybe I'll do it myself." She grabbed Canaan's breast and squeezed it hard enough to earn a gasp of pain from the younger girl. "While Alphard watches." She laughed and stood as Canaan struggled and growled furiously.

"In any case, this is boring. My tactics aren't working and you aren't being successfully antagonized." Alexander sighed. "I'll have to start with your treatment. You want to look good for Alphard, now don't you?"

Canaan's stomach sank at Alexander's sadistic grin.

_Alphard, I'm sorry_, Canaan thought as a fist swung down and snapped her head to the side. Before she could even recover she felt the hardness of a booted foot sinking into her stomach and knocking the breath out of her.

Canaan coughed and wheezed, barely able to breathe.

"Oh? Was that too much already?" Alexander asked tauntingly and removed her jacket. She draped it over the chair's back and rolled her sleeves up. "Let's see how long you can last." She grinned wickedly and kicked Canaan again and again until the synesthete could no longer remain silent and cried out in agony.

* * *

It was 11 a.m.

Alphard was once again sleeping deeply on Raiden's couch. The red head was still out, leaving Alphard on her own in the big, silent house.

"_Alphard! That's ticklish." Canaan exclaimed._

"_Is it now?" Alphard commented and continued her finger's exploration of Canaan's soft, velvety stomach._

The former terrorist twitched and shifted on the couch, a smile tugging at her lips as she fell deeper into her pleasant dream.

"_Yes!" Canaan laughed and captured Alphard's wondering hand with her own. She snuggled closer to her taller lover and sighed in content. "It's so nice out on the beach at sunset." The synesthete commented softly._

"_Mm, it is. But do you know what's even nicer?" _

"_Oh, and what is nicer than watching the sky turn pink and then darken and cool as the sun disappears?"_

"_Well," Alphard leaned down and gently kissed Canaan's temple. "Being here with you in my arms is much nicer. I've always enjoyed the sunset, but now it's even better because I have you right here by my side."_

"_Alphard." Canaan straightened up and cupped Alphard's cheek in her hand. She felt her heart thump unevenly when Alphard's strikingly gorgeous blue-grey eyes locked onto hers. "I love you." She uttered breathlessly, unable to shake out of the trance her lover's gaze put her into._

_Alphard gave a stunning smile. "As I love you, sweetheart." She leaned forward and gently kissed Canaan's quivering lips. _

_Alphard laid back on the still warm sand and allowed Canaan to crawl on top of her and use her shoulder as a pillow. The smaller of the two listened to her lover's heartbeat and smiled._

"_Alphard?" Canaan asked._

"_Yes, Canaan?"_

"_I'll always be by your side, no matter what. Always remember that." _

In reality Alphard whimpered as her heartbeat increased. She shifted again, knocking the blanket off of her body and onto the floor.

_Dream Alphard furrowed her brow. "Of course I will, my love. How could I forget?"_

"_If something happens to me, you might." Canaan sounded too serious for the peaceful atmosphere that had just been sharing._

"_Canaan." Alphard sat up and gently put her hands on top of Canaan's shoulders. She looked worriedly into her eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Why would you say something like that?"_

"_Because I had to."_

"_Canaan?" Alphard straightened. "Nothing will happen to you, right?" _

_Canaan didn't respond and shifted her gaze._

"_Canaan, promise me. Promise that nothing will happen to you." Alphard gently shook Canaan's shoulders. "Canaan," she exclaimed desperately. "Promise me, Canaan! Promise me!" _

Alphard's eyes flew open and she sat up with a gasp. Her whole body was trembling and her heart was pounding. _It was a damn dream_. She ran a hand through her messy hair and exhaled in irritation. That dream had officially put her in a bad mood and made her stomach sink. She felt sick, and her heart felt heavy with emotion.

Did that dream have extra meaning, or was it just a visual product of Alphard's thoughts and fears? The tall woman sighed.

The front door opened and two sets of footsteps walked down the passage and into the living room.

"Alphard?" Raiden called out before she entered the room and then made her way over to the couch once she spotted her friend. "This is one of the locals, Danielle." She indicated towards the young girl standing timidly behind her.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Danielle said in English with a shy smile.

Alphard stood from the couch and nodded at the young girl. She had short, dark brown hair done in a shaggy emo style that framed her face and nearly covered her eyes, which upon close inspection, turned out to be a vibrant green with specks of brown that probably dominated her irises in a lack of light. She wore black skater shoes outlined with white, black skinny jeans and a long sleeved black shirt with a picture on the front, appearing to be some sort of spiralling pattern related to technology in some way.

"Why is she here?" Alphard asked her friend in her usual Japanese.

Danielle's eyes widened and shone with excitement. "Oh my soul. Are you both Japanese?" She clasped her hands together behind her back and stared at the two much, much taller woman with innocent eyes.

"Hai." Raiden responded with a wink. Alphard rolled her eyes, causing Danielle to sigh and practically swoon.

"That is by far the most awesomesauce thing, ever." She smiled brightly. "I absolutely love all things Japanese related!"

"Oh? I take it you're an Otaku then?" Raiden enquired with a grin. Danielle dropped her head in embarrassment and nodded the slightest. This made Raiden chuckle. "Alright, enough fooling around. My laptop is over there." Raiden pointed towards the kitchen island counter and waited for Danielle to head over to it and focus on her laptop.

"Rai." Alphard said tonelessly and fixed her friend with a hard stare. "Who the hell is the kid?"

"Relax Al. I was talking to a contact of mine who happens to know of his daughter's friend that's into computers and such. Apparently she's a technology genius and can hack into anything. I managed to get the kid and brought her over here."

Alphard gave Raiden a confused glare.

"There has to be some type of information out there about this Yukino guy, and Dani-chan will find it for us. Right, Dani-chan?" Raiden raised her voice and turned towards the young teen who was busily typing away at the keyboard.

Danielle looked up and nodded enthusiastically. "Give me an hour and I should have some solid info, if nothing comes up earlier." She said.

"Well there you have it." Raiden said with satisfaction and popped down onto the couch.

Alphard remained silent and walked over to the double sliding doors. She leaned against the glass and rested her head against the cool surface.

_Don't worry Canaan, I'm going to get you. Just a little longer my love, I'm almost there._

* * *

_Alphard…_ Canaan thought of her lover for the hundredth time since she had been chained up like an animal.

She shifted her position and then winced. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. Being chained up made it all hurt even worse. Since she couldn't even sit down because of the damn chain, she gave up trying to support her body and half stood half hung. She had her head bowed and coughed.

"Alphard…" She whispered softly in a thick voice.

"Oh? Still calling out for your lover?" Alexander asked, startling Canaan from her earlier silence.

Canaan hadn't even known that the terrorist had returned. She had been hanging there with her eyes closed for a while. There was a soft ringing in her ears that had started after the multiple punches she had endured in the face.

Alexander stood and crouched down beside Canaan. "Looks like I beat all of that determination out of you." She roughly grabbed Canaan's jaw, making the younger girl gasp in pain and flinch away from the touch. "Don't worry, I'm done with you. All this blood and that pain on your face is theatrics enough."

The terrorist stood and unclipped the chain from the wall, allowing Canaan to fall down and finally rest her sore and aching body, and clipped the free end in a ring attached to the floor.

"Don't want you to accidentally strangle yourself." Alexander said. She stood and headed for the door.

"You," Alexander paused at hearing Canaan speak for the first time since she had captured the girl.

"Yes?" The dark haired terrorist turned and leaned against the door frame.

Canaan stared up at her from the ground, and through her blood and pain, still managed to keep a defiant look in her glowing red eyes. Alexander bristled at the sight. She had tried to beat that damn defiance out of Canaan, but it seemed that it didn't work. It infuriated the older woman.

"You… will die. Because… she will kill you… if I don't first." Canaan uttered and then collapsed onto the ground again, exhausted from the effort of speaking.

Alexander swallowed hard and clenched her hands into whitened fists. She had the most violent urge to throw the already beaten girl around the room again, but forced herself to calm and regain her usual emotional cool.

"You keep telling yourself that." She said coolly, and swiftly left the room.

Canaan shifted and watched her retreating back until the door swung shut and hid her view.

"She will kill you." Canaan breathed heavily and shut her eyes tight. "She will definitely kill you."

* * *

"So?" Alphard asked impatiently and stepped up to the teen still typing away furiously at the laptop's inbuilt keyboard. "Do you have anything yet?"

"Yes." The young brunette answered and clicked a few times, opening a number of windows that she resized to fit properly in the screen. "Here." She pointed at multiple pictures and looked up at Alphard, waiting for the taller woman to look at the information.

"Anything good?" Raiden sauntered up to the two and peered over Danielle' shoulder at the screen. "Holy cheese balls, is that snapshots of surveillance videos?" the red head asked.

"It is. I looked at the security camera data from all the areas you mentioned. I found a lot of stuff on that Alexander woman. It was only by chance that I actually found this." She pulled a different window up that displayed a picture of a man. He looked rough and seedy, with short blonde hair, emotionless brown eyes and a horrible arrogant smile. "I ran most of the pictures through this program of mine that searched through the internet and matched the picture with any of the same person out there. This brought back a lot of information on that person. It could be from arrests to Facebook to articles or even personal blogs." She clicked another window onto the screen. "And that blonde man is Hironatsu Yukino." She declared with a satisfied smile.

"Are you sure this is the Yukino we are looking for?" Alphard asked.

"I have no way to tell. But he is in the organization called Snake. It seems this guy updates all of his social media quite often. His last status update was at 11 a.m. yesterday, and he mentioned being sent to Durban suddenly by his "psycho boss" I think I can take a good guess and say this is your guy."

Alphard was impressed. "Well done."

"Do you know where he is though?" Raiden asked as she scanned all the different pictures and text on her laptop screen.

"Well, I decided to hack a few cameras up in Durban and either by pure luck or intense skill, I found a video of him exiting a hotel near Ushaka."

"Ushaka?"

"It's a marine world." She opened a window that displayed the place in question. "You guys should spend a day there. It is really fun."

"Great idea Dani-chan! Al, when all of this is over we can take Canaan there and have an awesome time."

Alphard swallowed at the thought and smiled very slightly. "Yeah, we'll do that." She was thankful to her friend for being positive despite what an ass she had been lately.

"Alright! So, Dani-chan, where is this hotel?"

"I already sent most of the stuff to your printer. I hope that's okay?" Danielle asked, suddenly scared that she had jumped the gun.

"Brilliant! I was very right in dragging you over here, Dani-chan."

"Well, it was a pleasure. I really don't mind helping people out with my godly technology skill." Danielle nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "As long as I'm not arrested for hacking into all these places. And I don't want to get involved in this situation you both are in, no offence."

"None taken. You should never speak of this again, though, because you really don't want to get involved. This is some serious stuff."

Danielle nodded slowly and turned back to the laptop with a frown. "I noticed. Some of the articles I found about the Snakes were… scary." She glanced up at Alphard but quickly looked away. "Anyway, I should be going." Danielle closed all of the windows as well as the browser and shut the laptop down.

"Oh, let me take you." Raiden made a move for her keys.

"No," Raiden paused. "A friend is on her way to fetch me. She should be here already." Danielle looked down and then pulled her phone out. "Yip," she glanced at the phone's screen. "She's here. I hope I helped you two enough. If you ever need my help again, then Raiden knows where to get me." Danielle followed Raiden to the door.

"Al, run up to my office and get those papers!"

"We will leave in ten minutes!" Alphard called back in reply and made her way up the stairs towards the study.

Raiden walked Danielle to the door, said goodbye and then made her way back into the living room.

"Ready?" She asked when Alphard walked back into the room with a folder of papers.

"As I'll ever be." The raven-head replied and threw Raiden's keys at her. The red head caught them with a grin.

"Let's go and find Yukino, and beat some information out of him." She said, as they left the house and climbed into the car.

* * *

_Extra Note: Alrighty people, I have a few things to mention here. Firstly, Alexander's whole plan about the IT Company and stuff, I realize that it may be farfetched and it may not make much sense. I literally thought of it as I was writing and decided to just roll with it. It makes some sense to me, so I'll stick to it. Do grumble about that weird idea, please? Lol_

_Secondly, I guest appeared in this chapter XD can you guess where? Yessum. I am Danielle. Literally. I used my whole character to create this Danielle. I actually do look and dress like I described in the story… and my name really is Danielle. It was another sudden idea and I giggled as I started writing myself in here. This is my only appearance, lol, as a character, so I hope no one minds too much about it. _

_Lastly, about the whole technology stuff. While I am competent on a PC and I do take C.A.T (Computer Application Technology) at school, I am no internet or PC genius. By far. So that was completely fictionalized. How Danielle found all that info, you guys can use your imagination. I am a genius in this story only. Lol. I hope that too isn't too farfetched. This is a fanfic, so I can write whatever I want -_- _

_Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review and let me know ^^ thank you for reading._


	28. Chapter 28: Tommy-Gun

Author's Note: Hey guys ^^ so, I FINALLY got a new chapter done. I've been struggling with the plot, really struggling T-T but I think I know how this story is going to end, so don't fret. I've also lost a lot of my desire for this story, so I'm struggling to find the inspiration to write. The directions to Durban and stuff, I googled that, so I hope there are no mistakes. Also, excuse any mistakes because it's 02:12 right now (at the time of writing this) and I am so tired. I only gave the chapter one read through, and now I'm going to sleep. I really do apologise for the long wait, and I hope this chapter is worth it. Read on, I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading. Warning: Expect some bad language in this chapter. (Song by Royal Republic)

Chapter 28: Tommy-Gun

* * *

"_I guilty stand before you, I know I misbehaved. I never meant to hurt you, I humbly beg forgiveness. Hope that my soul be saved, and if I had a final wish pretty Miss I would only ask this: I want you to do me with a tommy-gun baby, with a tommy-gun baby do me, gun-tommy. If you have to kill me use a tommy-gun baby, use a tommy-gun baby do me, gun-tommy."_

* * *

Alphard impatiently tapped her fingers against her knee. She crossed her legs, folding her right leg over the left, and blew out an impatient breath.

"Oi, are you sure you know where we're going?" The former terrorist asked her friend who was readily cursing at the wheel.

"No… yes… gah! I don't know." Raiden stopped the car by the side of the road and rested her head against the steering wheel. They had been driving for the last few hours since leaving Raiden's house that morning, and now they were lost somewhere possibly far from Durban. Raiden thought she had known the way there, but she ended up getting confused with the directions and this resulted in them getting lost.

"This is not the time to be fucking around," Alphard uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, "the longer we take to get there, the longer Canaan suffers at their hands." The dark haired soldier also uncrossed her arms from her chest and turned to fully face her companion. "Do you have any idea where we are?" She asked sternly, giving her friend a piercing gaze and an arched brow that just dared her to fool around.

Raiden gulped. "To be honest, not at all. We are completely lost."

Without a moment's hesitation Alphard threw the door open and jumped out of the jeep, confidently strode over to the driver's side, yanked the door open, roughly pulled Raiden out and climbed in by the wheel.

"Hey!" Raiden exclaimed as she was simply tossed aside and nearly ended up on her ass.

"Get in the car." Alphard commanded and slammed the door. Raiden hurried over to the passenger side and got in with a displeased grumble.

"Did you have to be so damn rough?" She grumbled.

Alphard simply shot her a glare. Raiden swallowed hard and lifted her hands in surrender. Alphard nodded in satisfaction and took a look at the map they had with them. When she had examined it for a few minutes, as well as the signs next to the road where they were parked, Alphard sighed deeply and folded the map and put it away.

"We are at Jeffreys Bay."

"I-is that good or bad?" Raiden asked hesitantly.

Alphard shook her head. "We've been driving for 5 hours. You've been taking us in circles, so we've wasted 2 hours already. It'll take us another 11 hours to get to Durban."

Raiden ran a hand through her dishevelled hair. "Damn Al, I'm sorry. I should have let you drive before we left Mossel Bay."

"Yeah," Alphard responded, "You should have. We would have been close to Port Elizabeth by now if I had." She turned the ignition and started the car. After checking that there were no oncoming cars, Alphard drove into the lane and headed southwest on Heide Ave towards Verbena Cres. They remained silent as Alphard turned left onto Verbena Cres and then right onto De Reyger St.

"So what do you plan on doing to find this Yukino guy?" Raiden piped up, not able to handle the stiff silence any longer.

"I plan on going to that hotel myself and finding him there." Alphard replied, and turned right onto St Francis St once they reached it. They came to a roundabout, and once they rode around it, Alphard steered the car to the second exit and cleared another 2 roundabouts. Once they rode through that she turned right to merge onto the N2 toward Port Elizabeth.

Raiden sighed in irritation and switched the radio on. One of the South African radio stations, 5FM, was on and playing the latest American pop song by one or the other famous singer that had little to no talent.

"Turn that shit off." Alphard growled.

"Why?" Raiden crossed her arms and looked at Alphard. The raven-head spared a glance at her and saw the challenge in her eyes, and then she grinned.

It wasn't a playful grin, or a teasing grin, it was a grin that only Alphard could ever pull off. It was cocky, it was confident, and most of all it was dangerous.

Alphard pulled her gun out and pointed it at the car's inbuilt stereo at the same time as she pulled the car onto the N2 from a ramp, heading towards Grahamstown.

"Put it off or I will shoot it." Alphard threatened, finger tightly pressed to the trigger of the gun.

Raiden huffed. "Oh please Al, you don't have the balls." The red head slumped back on the seat and cranked the volume up, filling the car with the annoying high pitched voice and thumping music beats.

Gun still poised, Alphard turned the car right onto Wellington St and continued following the N2 route.

"Oh?" Alphard glanced from the road to her hand, to Raiden's sceptical expression to the radio. "Don't make me laugh." She squeezed the trigger twice, imbedding two bullets into the dashboard of Raiden's car, right through the radio. The music immediately stopped and the silence kissed Alphard's ears.

"Alphard!" Raiden yelled, unable to believe that her friend had actually shot her car. Her ears still rang painfully from the force of a gun going off in such a confined space. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"You tested me, Raiden. I told you to put it off or I would shoot it. You didn't listen, therefore I shot it." Alphard chuckled darkly as she put her gun once more behind her back in the waistband of her pants. "I was the leader of the Snakes, Raiden. Don't forget that."

Raiden simply opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish as Alphard flicked the indicator on and turned left onto Grey St, and then followed R67.

"Geez." Raiden muttered softly and decided not to say anything to provoke Alphard again. Yes, she had been stupid in not putting the radio off when Alphard had asked her to, but to shoot her car? It pissed Raiden off more than she wanted to admit. She suddenly realized how much she disliked this Alphard, and missed the Alphard she knew.

The long hours passed silently as Alphard expertly navigated through the required roads and streets towards their destination. She kept a sharp eye out for all of the signs indicating where she was to turn off or what route to take, and before they knew it they turned onto Soofie Saheb Dr and drove to the right, directly towards Durban.

Alphard had managed to get them there in just under 10 hours, which was quite impressive for the fact that she hadn't lived in the country for that long, or been to Durban.

They stopped at a garage to refill the tank, and once the car had stopped and one of the attendants had taken the car keys to set about doing the job of filling the tank with diesel, Alphard took the initiative to ask the workers the directions to Ushaka. Once she got clear instructions on which way to go, and had paid for the diesel, Alphard started the car again and drove in the direction of their destination.

"Look," Alphard spoke up after they stopped at a red light, "I apologise for shooting your radio," her tone conveyed little care, though Raiden thought she heard the barest hint of actual sincerity in her friend's voice.

"Alright."

"I will pay for the repairs, I give you my word."

Raiden simply waved her hand dismissively, and Alphard took that as an affirmative. They remained silent for the last stretch of the journey, even though they had hardly spoken since Alphard had taken control of the car.

Finding Ushaka Marine World hadn't been difficult, and Alphard turned left into the streets beside Ushaka. She parked the car in an empty spot, right below a tree, and turned around in her seat to regard the white, two-story building of the Silver Sands hotel that they had driven about 16 hours to reach.

"This is the place." Alphard stated.

"Damn," Raiden glanced up from looking at her watch, "it's already 3:23 A.M." Raiden rubbed a hand over her face and yawned deeply. "I'm so tired."

"We can find a place to stay as soon as we find Yukino."

"Can't we come back later? It's so late."

Alphard simply looked at Raiden. "The longer we wait, the more danger she's in." Alphard's eyes darkened, "even if I have to stay up for days, I will until I have her back safe and sound."

Raiden slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and groaned. "Of course. Sorry Al, I keep being a dumbass today."

Alphard managed an amused grin. "That's nothing new," she said, and climbed out of the car. Raiden followed suit and together they walked across the street to the hotel and entered through the double doors.

The inside was cool, probably due to air conditioning to keep the heat and humidity of Durban at bay. The floors were dark blue carpet comprised of stringed diamond patters and the walls were all painted white. Directly in front of them there was a rounded receptionist desk, and behind it a young blonde woman sat, with nervous eyes watching the two tall women.

"Excuse me," Alphard spoke up and slipped her hand behind her back, feeling around for her gun. Raiden noticed and quickly put her hand on Alphard's shoulder.

"No violence. Let me redeem myself here."

The former terrorist regarded her friend for a moment, and then she let her arm fall to her side and shrugged. "Alright."

Raiden grinned and went over to the receptionist. She cleared her throat and then gave the nervous girl a bright smile.

"Excuse me, young miss, but I was wondering if I could get some information?" Raiden asked in a sexy tone, using her fluent English, hoping that her use of verbal seduction would work. The girl blinked a few times, and then blushed bright and red.

"I-information?" She asked, and Raiden nodded with a now cocky grin. "What information are you looking for?"

Alphard watched in pure amusement as her friend used her good looks and charm on the poor defenceless girl.

"Well, my friend and I are searching for my brother," Raiden retrieved the picture of Yukino that they had and handed it to the girl. "He disappeared a few days ago and a friend of mine spotted him in this hotel. Could you tell me if he is staying here?"

The girl looked at the picture and quickly handed it over. "Yes, he has been here since yesterday." She answered timidly and flicked her eyes over to Alphard who had stepped up beside her friend. The former terrorist cast a strong atmosphere around her, and gave a sense of deadly looming by the way she had her arms crossed over her chest and her dark eyes trained intensely on the girl.

"Great! Could you please tell us which room?" Raiden asked, and leaned over the desk to get closer to the girl, who visibly swallowed and smiled weakly.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that information with you. I'm really sorry." The girl looked at Alphard again, but quickly turned her attention back to the flirtatious red head.

"Oh?" Raiden arched an eyebrow in a rather sexy manner, causing the blonde girl's heart to flutter. The red head reached out and gently took hold of the girl's chin, and pulled their faces closer. "I really need that room number, and a key? Please, sweetheart, it's important." Raiden spoke huskily in a whisper, watching in satisfaction as the girl in her grip shivered slightly. They were so close that Raiden's breath brushed against the girl's lips, causing a tremble to travel down her spine.

"I ca-"

Raiden leaned forward by an inch and gently grazed her lips against the girl's. "Please?" She asked in the same smoky voice, confident that her charm would work.

The girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I… I…"

"You?" Raiden let their lips brush against each other for the barest of a second.

The young blonde opened her eyes, coming face to face with intense golden eyes simply pleading in such an adorable yet sexy manner. She sighed, and shifted as she retrieved something from a drawer and dropped a key on the table.

"Please don't tell anyone I gave you that key, I could get into serious trouble." The girl stated with her eyes on Alphard.

"Don't worry babe, we won't tell a soul." Raiden responded with a wink. She was about to move back and straighten up when she decided to reward the young girl and leaned in, capturing her lips in a heated kiss that lasted well over a minute. When Raiden pulled back and took the keys, she saw the girl breathing hard and looking down at her lap with a fresh blush painted across her cheeks.

Alphard grunted in approval and grinned in her usual cocky manner. "Let's go, lover-girl." She took the keys from Raiden and headed to the elevator.

When the blonde finally caught her breath and looked up, she noticed an envelope placed on the desk where she had put the key. It was brown, thick and heavy, and when she opened it she gasped and nearly fell off of her chair. The envelope contained a stack of 100 rand bills. Even if she got into trouble for helping them out, with this money, which she was sure was supplied from the two strangers, would support her for a few months until she got a new job.

The girl groaned. "I can't believe I was charmed like that, and now I'm accepting bribes." She hung her head in shame, but put the envelope in her handbag anyway.

The elevator stopped at the second floor and the doors softly swished open.

"Which door?" Raiden asked. They stepped out of the elevator's light and onto the dark floor.

"32." Alphard responded. They looked up at the door in front of them and noted that it was room number '24'. With a deep breath, Raiden turned to the right and walked past the doors, Alphard directly behind her, until they reached the desired room.

"Let's hope this is the right room." Raiden whispered.

Alphard pulled her gun out, cocked it, and held it firmly in her hands. Raiden opened the door with the key and quietly pushed the door open. It was dark and silent inside, save for snoring off to the far left of the room.

They closed and re-locked the door behind them, and then scoped out the dark room as best they could in the lack of light.

The whole space was one big room, with the exception of what they assumed to be the bathroom at their right. In the left corner next to them was the kitchen area, and beside that sat a king size bed. In front of the bed they made out the outlines of things one would find in a lounge, such as couches and a TV, so it was safe to assume that it was the lounge.

The snoring came from the bed, and by the sounds of it, there was only one person occupying it, and it was a man.

Alphard came up by Raiden and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to wake him up. Stay hidden in the darkness and don't let him know you're there in case this guy tries something."

"Okay." Raiden nodded, even though Alphard couldn't see it, and followed the dark shadow of her friend as she snuck over to the bed and crouched down by the side of it. A moment of silence passed, and then Alphard moved by grabbing the man and pulling him out of bed. He only managed to squeak in surprise before he had his face pressed roughly against the wall and his arms held painfully and firmly behind his back.

"What the fuck?!" He exclaimed and struggled against Alphard's grip.

"Hironatsu Yukino?" Alphard asked smoothly and shoved the man into the wall.

"Who the fuck wants to know?" He spat back in reply. Alphard pressed the muzzle of her gun against his lower back, earning a pained yelp from the man. "Alright, yes! I'm Hironatsu Yukino."

"Smart man." Alphard said coldly and leaned in close to his ear. "Now, I'm going to ask you questions and you are going to give me the right answers, do you hear me?"

"Why the fuck would I listen to you?"

Alphard sighed and pulled Yukino from the wall. She threw him to the floor and kicked him in the ribs. As he cried out in pain and wheezed for air, Alphard pulled him up by his shirt and shoved him into the wall again, but this time with his back against the hard, cool surface.

"Do you hear me?!" She repeated.

Yukino coughed and winced, "yes, fuck. I hear you."

Alphard gave him a second to regain his breath before she started with the first question. "Where is Alexander's Durban Headquarters?"

"Whoa, wait," Yukino struggled for a bit but promptly stopped when a cold gun pressed against his stomach, "if you wanted info about the Snakes then you should have said so from the start. Jesus."

"So?"

"Before I answer, what's in it for me?"

In her spot a little distance from her friend, Raiden sighed softly to herself and winced at the sound of a fist smashing into a face.

"Hey, wait!" Yukino cried out in distress and sighed in relief when Alphard paused in her next attack. "Look, lady, I don't spill the beans unless you give me beans."

"Give you beans?" Alphard questioned. She felt her brow twitch in complete annoyance. If she didn't need this idiot for information then she would have already put a bullet through his head.

"Yeah, you know, payment for the information."

"There will be no payment. Now tell me where your HQ is."

"I won't answer unless you pay me." Yukino stated, and then, unbeknownst to the two, cracked a creepy grin. "But, if you don't have money, you can always give me a different form of payment." With that he reached out and blindly groped at Alphard's chest.

For a second Alphard was too dumbstruck to respond. Was this guy really that much of a moron? Someone attacks him in his sleep, demands information from him, and he turns to thinking about payment through sex. The pure stupidity of this man nearly made Alphard chuckle. Nearly, because Yukino had taken her lack of response as some type of encouragement and now had his hand under her shirt, travelling along her smooth, muscled stomach.

Alphard simply stepped back and brought her fist up at his elbow, using enough force to break the joint there and send him into a fit of pain. Before he could yell out and alert anyone, Alphard slammed her fist right into the centre of his face, kneed him in the groin and tossed him onto the ground. All he could utter was a pathetic squeak of pain.

"Now," Alphard crouched down beside him and roughly pulled him up by his short hair, "where is Alexander's Headquarters?"

Yukino took deep, ragged breaths before he attempted to answer. "G-go to hell, b-bitch." He uttered.

Alphard rolled her eyes in the darkness and stood. Yukino thought his attacker was giving up, but quickly found the falseness of his theory when a familiar boot sank into his stomach and knocked him backwards. Another kick flew out and landed against his back, making him arch forward.

"Okay!" Yukino exclaimed after another kick, unable to take the abuse any longer.

"Oh? Ready to talk?"

"Yes! Fuck." Yukino curled into a ball and thought frantically for an answer. "Alexander recruited us all to this new building that just recently finished construction. It's some IT looking building down the beach front. It's some distance past Ushaka." Yukino went into a fit of coughs and then wheezed a few times. His ribs were aching worse than the rest of his body.

"I will have to take your word for it."

"Alphard, what are we going to do with him?" Raiden spoke up, startling Yukino since he hadn't known of her presence until that moment.

"Hmmm." Alphard looked down at his huddled form visible through the darkness and made a decision. She bent down, grabbed Yukino by the hair and slashed her knife across his throat in one vicious movement. The man jerked and then gargled in panic after he was tossed back onto the floor, and a pool of red clouded around him.

"I don't want anyone alerting Alexander that I'm on my way. This pathetic man was bound to get himself murdered by the Snakes anyway." Alphard explained as she wiped her knife off on Yukino's shirt. She ignored his struggling form and turned away from him with disinterest.

"We have the location." Alphard said.

"Now all we have to do is get there and rescue Canaan." Raiden added after recovering from her surprise. She had guessed that they would end up killing him, but she never expected it to happen so fast and sudden.

They left the room and headed out of a back exit. Once they were out of the building they hurried to the car and climbed in.

"Al, can we stop off somewhere to eat? I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving."

Alphard didn't respond, but she started the car and drove off. "Can you contact someone to clean up the mess and get rid of the body?" Alphard asked.

"Uh, I think so. That's actually a smart idea." Raiden fished her phone out and scrolled through her list of contacts. There was a chance that someone could help her out. She did have a lot of favours owed to her by the people she used to work with, since she had saved their asses more than once with the use of her ability.

Alphard found a fast food place and parked the car. She and Raiden headed into the place with Raiden still calling her contacts for anyone who could help. While the red head battled on the phone, Alphard ordered their food. Only 10 minutes passed before they received their food, since the place was empty at 4 A.M, and went over to a table in the back with their trays of food in hand.

"Anything?" Alphard asked after they had settled down at the table and Raiden had ended her last call.

"Yes, a friend is contacting his contacts here and he will have them take care of Yukino."

"Good." Alphard didn't care about the details, as long as there was no evidence left.

"So, Al, what's the plan?"

Alphard took a big bite out of the burger she had ordered, realizing how incredibly hungry she was by the painful grumbling of her stomach, and thought deeply as she chewed.

"I don't have a plan yet." She took another bite and after another moment of thoughtful chewing, swallowed and took a sip of her drink. "But we have to think of a plan. One that will work and one that we can do soon."

"Al," Raiden leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling, "you are asking for a miracle here. I bet you just want to run in there, guns blazing and kick ass like you always do, rescue your Canaan and save the day." Raiden glanced at Alphard and noticed her looking thoughtfully at her tray. "You're not actually considering that, Alphard, are you?"

Alphard didn't respond and didn't even show any sign of having heard Raiden, she was too deep in thought.

"Alphard?" Raiden called her name again and started to worry. Alphard snapped back to reality and looked Raiden sharply in the eyes. Now Raiden was seriously starting to worry.


	29. Chapter 29: Nemo

Author's Note: Hey all ^^ I'm still pretty unsure of how I'm going to end this T-T I hate taking so long to finish this story, and I really, REALLY apologise for making all of you wait so long for the latest chapters. How would you guys like to see this end? Maybe some suggestions from you will give me some brilliant ideas, or something. Now, I'm done taking more of your time. Read and I hope you enjoy ^^ (Song by Nightwish)

Chapter 29: Nemo

* * *

"_Oh how I wish for soothing rain. All I wish is to dream again. My loving heart, lost in the dark. For hope I'd give my everything. My flower withered between the pages 2 and 3. The once and forever bloom gone with my sins. Walk the dark path, sleep with angels, call the past for help. Touch me with your love and reveal to me my true name."_

* * *

Drip.

Canaan registered the faint sound.

Drip. Drip.

It was probably her sweat, or her blood, or a mixture of blood that trickled down her face and dropped from her chin, landing with a soft plop on the floor.

Drip.

Canaan shifted slightly and glared up at the door through one eye. The other was closed shut by the stream of blood that had dried over it. Keeping the one eye open was exhausting enough, but she kept it open and stared intensely at the pale grey of the door. It was closed. Alexander had left an hour ago, Canaan guessed, after using her face as a punching bag. Again.

Drip.

How long had she been here? She couldn't even tell the time or day, if it was dark or light outside. The room she was in had no windows, only a dim light flickering above and that damned door. For a second she hated that door, but then she realized the absurdity of projecting her anger towards an inanimate object that had nothing to do with her current predicament. Canaan laughed darkly, softly, and paused afterwards. It hurt. Everything still hurt.

Her chest ached with each breath, meaning that she probably had a few broken ribs. Her jaw ached as well, the result of receiving so many punches. Canaan's entire body ached from every second of abuse it had taken. Alexander was strong, and wore really heavy boots.

Drip.

Canaan dropped her gaze from the door and rested her head against her knees. She was sitting in the corner of the room, knees pulled up to her chest. Luckily the chain was long enough to allow her to crawl over to the end of the room and simply rest against the wall. It was pathetic. Canaan resisted the urge to laugh again. This whole thing was pathetic.

She was a synesthete. She had an incredible ability that practically made her superhuman. But there she was, chained like a damn dog, treated even worse by a psychotic terrorist leader. What was the point of all of her years of training, of having such an ability if it just landed her in such a weak position?

Canaan felt weak and hopeless. For a moment her vision blurred and she had to blink a few times to see in front of her again. A strange heaviness entered her body and she sagged against the wall. What was happening to her?

_Alphard…_ Canaan bit down onto her lip. _Are you out there looking for me? Trying to save me? I miss you. I'm sorry for being stupid enough to get captured again. Alphard, it's alright… you don't need to save me… Alphard… _Canaan fell forward, ending up flat on her stomach. Her eyelids felt as heavy as the rest of her, and her mind suddenly clouded over. The ability to think was proving harder with each new breath she took.

_Alphard… I…_ Canaan felt her heart pounding furiously in her chest. It was scary, and all she could hear was the pounding of her blood in her ears. It was as if she was fading and her heart was about to give out.

Canaan tried to resist the burning desire to drift off to sleep and feared that she couldn't, but some instinct told her to fight the sensation and remain awake. If she went to sleep now, she would never wake. But she felt so tired, so sore and weak. How could she not give in to the temptation of peace?

_Alphard…_ A small smile graced Canaan's lips as her body relaxed and a long breath escaped her lips. _Maybe now… the pain will go away… I'm sorry Alphard… I love you…_

Canaan was about to slip into unconsciousness, she would have if a sudden gunshot hadn't broken the silence and jerked her out of her trance. The synesthete's eyes shot open, even the one that had been covered shut, and she stared hotly at the door once more.

There it was. Another gun shot. What was going on?

"Intruders!" Someone from behind the door yelled, a man, and Canaan watched the shadows of passing feet run by the crack under the door. "Do not let them escape!" The same voice yelled.

"Raiden, behind you!" Another voice, familiar and strong, filtered through the door and widened Canaan's eyes even more. Could it be?

"A-Alphard…" Canaan uttered and managed to push herself onto her knees. More and more gunshots sounded from the other side of the door as Canaan crawled toward the noise. The chain wasn't long enough, though, and Canaan ended up knocking herself onto her side when the chain reached its limit. She collapsed in a heap on the floor and whimpered in pain. Her body felt like it was on fire.

There was more shouting, a few more gunshots, and then there was silence.

Canaan counted the silent seconds as she held her breath. It sounded like the commotion had ended, but where were Alphard and Raiden?

"Alphard…" Canaan called out softly, unable to really raise her voice much louder than a raspy whisper. She got back onto all fours and crawled as close to the door as she could. If only she could hear anything or see anything from the crack underneath the door. Canaan collapsed again, on her stomach, and simply ignored the aching in her ribs. She reached out with her bloody handcuffed hands but let them drop. It felt like that little bit of energy she had been given with hearing Alphard's voice had dissipated. There was no strength left, and so little hope.

Canaan rested her cheek against the cool floor and exhaled, long and slow. She just couldn't hold on anymore. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and took another breath.

"Canaan!" The door burst open and a flash of black darted into the room. Canaan felt her body move and arms gently pull her up. Her senses filled with the familiar, attractive scent that she knew so well and the heat coming from the strong body calmed her heart.

It was Alphard. Here, to save her. She was saved, and she managed to stay awake until her love rescued her.

"Canaan! Canaan, are you okay?!" Alphard cried out in panic and felt for a pulse. Her hands were shaking and her heart was thumping painfully hard in her chest.

"A-Alphard…" Canaan managed to cover Alphard's hand that had been searching at her neck for a pulse with her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm okay." She said softly and buried her face against Alphard's neck.

The former terrorist sighed in relief and buried her nose in Canaan's white hair.

"Al, we need to get going. Alexander is probably on her way." Raiden called from the open doorway and shot worried looks down the hallway to either side of the door.

"Got it." Alphard replied and used the key they had stolen to unlock the chains around Canaan. When the constraints were removed Alphard gently lifted Canaan into her arms and followed Raiden out of the room and down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Canaan asked. She had her head resting against Alphard's shoulder and her arms wrapped around her neck.

"To the roof. We have a helicopter on the way." Alphard responded and leaned down to place a tender kiss against Canaan's temple. Canaan sighed at the gentle touch.

"I thought I would die before you got here." Canaan admitted softly and tightened her grip.

Alphard's steps faltered. "I would die before I ever let that happen, Canaan." Alphard's throat tightened. Just the thought tore at her soul.

"Heh, well neither of us will die. You came and you saved me."

Alphard smiled. "Of course I did. I always will."

They reached the door to the roof and hurried through it. The helicopter hadn't yet arrived, it seemed.

"Shit, they're late." Raiden clenched her jaw and looked at Alphard with panic.

"Not by much." Alphard said and nodded her head towards the right. Raiden looked to the horizon and spotted the black dot in the distance. It had to be the helicopter.

"Don't let them escape!" A shout filtered through the door from a few floors below. Alphard and Raiden exchanged glances.

"Take Canaan and get her on the helicopter the second it lands, I'll hold these guys off and catch up as soon as you and Canaan are safe."

"But Alphard-"

"Just go!" Alphard handed Canaan to Raiden and hurried over to the door. "Get her to safety!" Raiden decided to simply follow the order and nodded her head.

"No, Raiden, don't let her face them alone!" Canaan struggled despite her pain and injuries.

"Sorry Canaan, but orders are orders." Raiden securely held onto Canaan as they waited at the edge of the roof, far from the door, for the helicopter that had grown from a spot in the sky to a big black blotch approaching fast.

At Alphard's end gun shots were blazing. Alphard hid by the side of the doorway when the men shot at her, and returned fire when there was a break in the spray of bullets. In the next minute Alphard killed half of the men trying to stop them.

The helicopter neared the building and descended to the roof.

"Alphard, hurry!" Raiden called out to her friend. A ladder spilled out of the helicopter and Raiden hurriedly climbed up with Canaan still struggling in her arms.

"Go! I'll run and jump!" Alphard yelled up. Raiden couldn't hear here over the noise of the helicopter but she felt the intended message with Alphard's thoughts and emotions. So she told the pilot to take off slowly. The helicopter started ascending and moved away from the roof, but stayed close to the edge. The ladder dangled in the air, some distance away from the edge of the roof.

Alphard shot a few more men down and took off running towards the helicopter. Canaan watched in a panic as soldiers spilled out from the door and ran after her lover. Alphard was fast though and jumped off of the roof. She caught the end of the ladder and looked up at Canaan with a grin. Canaan was about to grin back, but a flash of blue caught her attention and she turned her red eyes back to the roof. Alexander stepped up to the edge and fired her gun.

A single shot, the sound louder than it should have been, pierced through the air and Alphard's back.

The raven-head coughed out blood and looked up at Canaan with shock.

"Ca… naan…" She muttered, too soft for Canaan to hear over the noise. "I'm… sorry…" Canaan could read her lips, and shook her head.

"No!" Canaan struggled from Raiden's arms and reached towards Alphard. "Alphard!"

Alphard reached up to her as she reached down, and their hands almost. Another shot rang out and Alphard's eyes widened. A gush of blood spurted out of her mouth and her eyes lost focus. She managed to give one last shocked look to Canaan before her eyes closed and her grip loosened.

"ALPHARD!" Canaan screamed as she watched Alphard fall.

"Canaan." Someone shook Canaan by the shoulder. "Canaan! Canaan, wake up!"

Canaan's head snapped up and she blinked. She wasn't on a helicopter with Raiden, she was still in the room, chained to the floor. What the hell?

"Ah, I finally woke you." That voice. Could it be? "Bad dream? You were thrashing around pretty violently, plus you screamed Alphard's name. It didn't sound like a naughty scream, so I'm guessing you had a nightmare." Alexander sat down on the only chair in the room and watched Canaan with amusement.

"It… was a dream?" Canaan uttered, her voice thick with emotion. At Alexander's nod Canaan felt something inside of her break, and tears came pouring down her face. She curled into a ball on the floor and silently sobbed.

Alexander shifted and sighed. "Well… I can't say don't cry, because, well, I would think crying in this situation is appropriate." Alexander awkwardly scratched the back of her neck and blew out a breath. "I hate it when girls cry." She said, not sure if Canaan was listening at all. Alexander sighed. "Well, look on the bright side, whatever you dreamt that made you cry didn't actually happen." Canaan's sobs died down and she managed to calm her trembling body. "See? No reason to cry. Now, if only you would react to the situation and cry for the proper reason."

Canaan realized that even though it was a dream, it was still possible. This realization made her tears fall harder. She wasn't crying loudly, not at all, but her body shook with each sob and it was quite obvious that she was crying really hard.

Alexander sighed again. "I hate it when girls cry." She stood and crouched down by Canaan's side. Alexander forced Canaan to look up and firmly gripped her chin. She studied her eyes for a moment and looked away awkwardly. "You better save those tears for when Alphard really dies." Despite the words, Alexander sounded like she was trying to… comfort her?

Canaan's brows furrowed. She noticed that Alexander's grip wasn't nearly as hard as it had been every other time.

"How did you…?" Canaan asked and watched Alexander's blue eyes lock onto her gaze once more. A strange emotion clouded her blue iris for a moment, and then it was gone and they returned to their ice-like, emotionless appearance.

"You were mumbling in your sleep. I'm not stupid. It was easy to guess what you were dreaming." Alexander dropped Canaan's chin and went over to the chair to retrieve her jacket.

Canaan realized something. "Aren't you going to beat the crap out of me again?" Every single time Alexander came to the room she wouldn't leave until she had given Canaan a painful beating.

"Nah." Alexander shrugged into her jacket and moved to the door. "I really do hate it when girls cry." She gave Canaan a very strange glare and then she left the room.

Canaan sat up and rested her back against the wall.

"It was just a dream," she said to herself, "nothing but a dream."

* * *

_Extra Note: Hey guys! What did you think? Did I have you going there for a minute or did you see right through me? Did I break your feels? I hope I did. *evil laugh* lol, no, I'm not that evil, but I do hope I surprised some people. Will you review and let me know if I did? I would greatly appreciate it. Now, one last thing before I end this note. You all should read this story, "Canaan: Worlds Apart" by TheForgottenPen. It's a CanaanxMaria story, but I like it even though it destroys my ship. Le author also says there will be a bit of AlphardxCanaan, but the main pairing will be CanaanxMaria. The story has just taken off but it really is worth a shot. If you haven't already, then give it a try ^^ I would also appreciate it if you amazing, wonderful,, beautiful readers could do so and let TheForgottenPen know what you think. Please? 'kay, that's all. Until the next chapter! May the force be with you._


	30. Chapter 30: Remember Me

Author's Note: I'm curious, is there anyone out there who actually listens to the songs for each chapter while reading? (Song by Cold In May)

Chapter 30: Remember Me

* * *

"_Please don't tell the words, that taste is so untrue. I wish I knew it all, my only solitude. Help me to forget, I'm not the only one. Help me to forget, the time of love is out. __Please remember me, as I break your distance. When there's nowhere to go. Please remember me, when you change your target still shooting at my soul__. __Please remember me, I'll break the silence. I'll return one day."_

* * *

It was silent and dark. Almost lonely. The sky was pitch black with night, barely even illuminated by the few stars dotted around the inkiness. There were heavy clouds obscuring the normally bright moon and it's smaller, multiple twinkling companions. The wind picked up and blew cold air into the solitary figure frozen still on a balcony 4 stories from the ground. Ignoring the wind, Alphard's coat blew about and her hair fluttered with the rush of air. She barely even noted the chilly air or the promise of colder weather to come in the drop in temperature. Thoughts, rampant and serious, consumed her mind and swirled around in her head.

"Al," a red head, still damp from a recent shower and wearing nothing but a t-shirt and boxers, opened the sliding door and called out to her friend. She watched Alphard turn and fix those dark grey eyes on her. "It's getting cold. Come inside, please?" She pleaded softly, hoping her words would be heard. Alphard nodded and left the cold air, the lonely balcony and icy metal of the railing that she had been gripping too tightly. Raiden closed the sliding door after Alphard had stepped in and then drew the curtain shut. As she walked over to her bed she continued to ruffle her red hair dry with a soft, slightly damp towel. The chill in the room sent goose bumps rippling over her skin and she knew she would start shivering any minute now. It wasn't just the cold, though. She was exhausted, and she was sure Alphard was too. They had hardly slept and now it was early in the morning, just before the sky turned grey. She wanted to sleep but they had more urgent matters to attend to first.

"Did anyone agree?" Alphard spoke up. She didn't look up from her side of the room and focused on stripping out of her clothes and into her sleepwear.

"No. They all refused. It seems I exhausted my supply of favours. No one will help us this time so we have to go in alone."

"What's the plan?"

Raiden shuffled over to the desk between their beds and retrieved a brown envelope, and then shuffled over to Alphard and handed it to her. The raven-head took it with narrowed eyes but opened it and shifted through the collection of papers.

"That's the info on the building Alexander is using right now."

"An IT company seems far beyond ridiculous."

"I think Alexander likes putting on a show."

Alphard paused in her reading and pursed her lips. She wished that she could have agreed or disagreed with Raiden's assumption, since she had worked alongside the terrorist before, but in that time she had been so self-absorbed, so obsessed and out of reality that she actually never got close to or even learnt anything about her. That was such a stupid mistake on her part, because if she had been just the slightest bit sane then she could have figured Alexander out and it would have made Canaan's rescue that much easier. Knowing nothing about the enemy was making it all too difficult. They didn't know what to expect from her or what her next move would be.

"Is there no information about Alexander?" Raiden shook her head. "She must have erased all traces of her existence before joining the Snakes. I have to say, she is frighteningly intelligent… What's this?" Alphard withdrew a folded piece of paper and unfolded it, revealing a map.

"Oh, that's the map of the building. I figured that we would need it if we were going to plan and execute this on our own."

"I have an idea." Raiden perked up and went over to Alphard. She looked over her shoulder at the map and followed her friend as she spoke and indicated parts of the map. "Let's break in through the vent here," the former terrorist pointed at the right side of the building, "and then follow the vents into this hallway. Once there we can jump out when the coast is clear and make our way to where ever they are keeping Canaan."

"Ah, I see, and we'll use my ability to locate her?"

"Exactly."

"What about guns? What will we do if they catch us?"

"We'll have no choice but to either make a run for it to rescue Canaan or take our time to destroy their soldiers."

"So it depends on the situation."

"Precisely. As for escape, that also depends on where Canaan is being kept. If it is on the first floor then that will benefit us and we can clear out the area before rescuing her, making it easy getting out. But something tells me that it won't be that easy."

"I see." Raiden nodded. "If she's on another floor then we'll have to work hard at taking all of those soldiers out. If we do that after rescuing her then that puts her at risk, especially if she isn't in any condition to walk."

Alphard chewed on her lower lip in thought. This was more complicated than it should have been. "What if we get her and make our way to the roof and then jump down using parachutes?"

"No. This isn't some spy movie. It would be especially difficult if Canaan is injured. How will you release the parachute properly with her injured in your arms?"

Alphard sighed. "Damnit." They remained silent for a long moment simply lost in deep thought.

Eventually something came to mind and Raiden spoke up. "We can make this work if we sneak in quietly. Making a big announcement will only get us killed. So I suggest that we follow the beginning of your plan and avoid all soldiers. After we find Canaan we can simply do the same and sneak out."

"Could that really work?"

"It could."

"There is a problem though. Alexander, I'm sure, has cameras installed everywhere."

Raiden grinned. "I know someone we can call to hack in and disable them for a short while." Her grin turned into a smirk and the red head's eyes glinted.

"That could work." Alphard said, feeling a little more alive compared to earlier. If they could come up with an actual plan then she could sleep properly, knowing that they had a good chance at rescuing her love. "Maybe we can also get her to send out a fake message to the soldiers to report and gather somewhere else. But then we will have a very short time limit."

"That won't be a problem because we will get in there, ninja around and get Canaan before the Snakes even realize they were tricked."

Another thought struck Alphard and she smirked. "Get her to hack into the cameras and locate Canaan's exact position, that way we can waste no time at all in finding her and getting her out."

Raiden whipped her phone out and gave Alphard a thumps up. "I'll make the call now, and in the meantime climb into bed or something. You look like a zombie." Alphard glared at Raiden for the comment, but managed to smile, almost feeling like her peaceful self again. Despite not wanting to rest when her love was still out there, captured and possibly even hurt, she climbed into the bed and noted with surprise at how comfortable it actually was. If she hadn't been on such high alert she would have fallen asleep already. Alphard waited though, and eventually Raiden concluded the call and turned to her friend with a grin.

"It's all set, Al. The plan is already in motion."

At hearing this Alphard sighed; in relief, because it seemed this nightmare might actually end. Alphard closed her eyes and was asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She was finally able to have a proper sleep since all of this had begun.

* * *

Canaan shivered slightly as a cold, rough hand gripped her chin and yanked her face upwards, forcing her to squint her eyes in pain from the sudden bright light from above. It had been dark for so long, or she just had her eyes tightly shut for too long, making the sudden light exposure to her widened pupils sting and then make them shrunk. Canaan growled softly at the menacing presence.

"Oh?" An unfamiliar voice spoke with malicious amusement. "How can you still even speak with everything you have endured?" The grip tightened and Canaan looked up into the face of the person, who she realized had a black eye, making her hostile expression much less intimidating.

"Seems you aren't that well off either." Canaan stated with a grin. Her eyes, blazing red, picked up on the colour change in the woman and closed her eyes. She had upset her, which had been quite easy since she seemed to have already been emotionally unstable. The synesthete clenched her jaw so as not to bite her tongue when, as expected, a fist impacted with her chin and sent her flying backwards into the wall.

"You bitch! Know your place, you little red eyed freak!" The woman sent a hard kick towards Canaan and landed the hit on her knee. It hurt but Canaan curled into a ball and endured more kicks to her arms and legs. At some point she even began bleeding again.

When Canaan thought she was about to black out the door burst open and the temperature seemed to drop. "What the hell do you think you are doing, Maya?"

"Lee-sama... I... I..." Maya stumbled back from the bleeding girl curled up on the floor, white hair looking ashen from all of the dried blood.

"Get out!" The command was absolute, and remembering the result of their earlier disagreement, Maya simply bowed and left the room in a hurry.

Alexander approached her hostage and roughly removed the chains bound around her body except for the handcuffs. With that Alexander grabbed a handful of Canaan's hair, pulled her up onto her feet and dragged her out of the room.

Canaan flinched at the biting pain but remained silent. She wouldn't give Alexander the pleasure of hearing her pain.

"Your beloved is here." Alexander said curtly, without looking at Canaan.

"What?!"

"And that friend of hers." Alexander smirked. "They are here to save you." Canaan's heart dropped. If Alexander knew that they were here, then that meant...

"Where are you taking me?" Canaan asked.

"To the roof."

"Why?"

"Because there I will end everything."

"How do you know you will win?"

Alexander paused and let go of Canaan's hair, finally allowing the girl to straighten up and look her in the eyes. "I don't know that I will win, for all I know I could end up dying within the next hour, or you could." They stared off for a long moment, and then the sound of gunshots echoed through the passage and Alexander grabbed a hold of Canaan's arm in a vice-like grip and pulled her towards the stairs. The gunshots came closer and then Canaan spotted a flash of familiar black hair.

"Canaan!" Alphard shouted after spotting her love with the terrorist.

"Alphard!" Canaan called back and struggled.

Alexander cursed under her breath and pulled Canaan into a headlock. She was incredibly strong and Canaan was still weak from the days without food and water, so she stopped struggling almost immediately. Alexander smirked and then pointed her gun at the two approaching figures as she ascended the stairs and watched them dodge her bullets. When she had emptied the magazine she tossed the gun to the floor. At that stage the Snake leader had reached the roof and hurried over to the edge with Canaan growling in anger.

"Stop it or I will drop you." Alexander threatened with a cold glare and feigned pushing Canaan over the edge. Canaan gasped and clung to Alexander's arm. She did not want to fall.

Alphard and Raiden burst through the door and raised their guns, pointed directly at Alexander's head. "Let her go or we will shoot you!" Alphard warned in a serious tone.

Alexander tilted her head to the side, as if she was confused, and grinned playfully. "So I finally get to see the real Alphard. The Alphard of the rumours. The Alphard I will destroy and surpass." As she spoke she took a step closer to the edge. "Shoot me and your Canaan will fall with me."

Alphard resisted the urge to simply shoot until she had no bullets left. She was pissed off beyond words. Their plan had gone perfectly until they closed in on the floor Canaan was kept on. After making their way up the stairs, still unnoticed – or so they thought – they were met with a number of soldiers that had been hiding and waiting for them. It was obvious that Alexander had managed to either predict their moves or she had found out about their plan.

How she did that they didn't know. There was also the possibility that the camera hacking hadn't worked out and the terrorist had simply seen them sneak in. Whatever the reason was it didn't matter anymore.

Alphard had falsely believed and hoped that everything would work out and they would win. It was a foolish naivety. If Canaan got hurt, more than she already was… Alphard didn't know how she would handle it. If her girlfriend was thrown over the edge, she was sure to jump after her.

It was stupid, and corny and so cliché, but Canaan was now her light and her life. If she lost her she would go back to being the living dead. She would rather die than go back to that.

"What do you want?" Alphard asked, not once lowering her gun.

"What I want?" Alexander smirked, and then tossed Canaan to the side and ran forward. Alphard opened fire but Alexander dodged each bullet expertly. "I want to surpass you, Alphard!" Alexander yelled and kicked the gun from Alphard's hand. The Snake leader did a high kick aimed at Alphard's head, but the raven-head blocked it with her arm and returned it with a punch of her own. Alexander evaded it and together they danced around as they used every bit of training they had ever received.

It looked more like a dance than a fight because of their fast, lithe movements, sharp turns and determined expressions.

Raiden couldn't help; she couldn't even go to see if Canaan was alright. She was busy fending off the other Snake soldiers from the door leading to the roof. It was frustrating but she had no choice. When the red head looked up from her gun she noticed that Alexander had Alphard pinned to the ground, with her straddled on her stomach. The terrorist had a hand tightly around Alphard's neck and was ruthlessly punching her in the face with her free hand.

"C-Can...aan..." Alphard managed to utter between punches. All Canaan could do was watch helplessly, but her chest felt so tight with anger that she struggled to stay still. Alphard closed her eyes and just waited for the final blow. This was as much as she could take.

She was once great but she had abandoned that life and now she wasn't as strong as Alexander, who trained and worked out every day. The punches were hard, and painful, but Alphard managed a smile when she remembered being punched like this by Canaan on the train. Truth be told, Canaan's punches had been worse.

_Canaan..._

Alphard felt her heart calm. She took a deep breath and tensed her muscles, all the while counting the seconds between each punch. This is not how it would end, she would not lose and she refused to give up. Alphard knew that she had the strength inside of her to push Alexander off. She focused inwardly and felt her muscles bulge with unexpected energy. Her stomach tightened, abdomen muscles wound tight and hard, and her body slowly lifted with the power of her lower back muscles. Alexander's eyes widened slightly when she felt her body lift, but she did not pause in her punches, instead she tightened her hold on Alphard's neck and increased the force of her hits.

Alphard took a breath, preparing herself to simply toss Alexander to the side and pin her down, but fell back down in surprise when Alexander suddenly disappeared from on top of her. The weight was there, the next punch was coming, but then it just stopped. What the hell?

Alphard opened her eyes and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Canaan had tackled Alexander to the floor, and then she stood and kicked her right in the stomach with enough force to actually send her sliding to the other side of the roof. Alexander lay there in a daze, the pain and disorientation confusing her for a moment.

Canaan looked up and a cold shiver shot down Alphard's spine. Those eyes were glowing so darkly, so red, that they appeared black. The white haired girl looked furious, her mouth was set in a stern line and she stood tall.

"No one..." She stepped forward, eyes locked onto Alexander's now surprised blue, "...ever..." Canaan bared her teeth and then tensed her arms; the handcuffs around her wrists all but shattered and scattered to the floor, "...punches Alphard..." She continued, shoulders squared, face furious, eyes dark, teeth clenched, "...BUT ME!" Canaan grabbed Alexander by the front of her shirt and threw her in the air. It looked like she hardly even exerted herself in the act, and leaped so fast towards the falling terrorist that she was almost a blur.

_I don't feel pain right now, _Canaan thought; _I can barely feel anything but the adrenalin surging through my veins. I want to kill her, to make it slow and tortuous. I'm so angry. I will kill her, I will kill her, I will kill her!_

With each mental word Canaan sent a punch at Alexander. The first one connected with her jaw, sending a tooth flying. Another one knocked her in the stomach and made Alexander sputter and gasp for breath.

The terrorist couldn't believe she was being beaten up by the girl who could barely walk just a moment ago. When those red eyes had looked into her own, she felt like a knife had pierced through her soul.

Canaan's anger was merciless, and it showed on her expressionless face. She didn't even pause between blows and just took all of her anger out on the now defenceless Alexander. The curly haired woman tried to block the hits but she couldn't keep up.

Meanwhile Alphard hurried over to Raiden and helped the red head shut and lock the door. "Plans changed." Alphard said and slumped against the closed door.

"You don't say?" Raiden responded with a grin despite their situation. The former assassin glanced up. "Holy shit, Canaan is going to kill her!" she exclaimed. It was true. From the faint sounds of cracking here and there and a collecting puddle of blood it was obvious that Canaan wasn't holding back at all. They were about to jump into the fray when a helicopter suddenly flew overhead and hovered above the roof.

"The hell..." Raiden exclaimed. There was a loud commotion behind them from the other side of the door and then it was forced open, sending Alphard and Raiden stumbling forward, and a group of soldiers – looking like FBI – poured out onto the roof.

"That's enough, Canaan!" A voice spoke out from a speakerphone. Canaan paused and let go of Alexander. The terrorist leader stood and wiped the blood from her mouth. A ladder spilled out from the helicopter and someone climbed down while the soldiers moved in and surrounded Alexander.

Alphard and Raiden could only watch in confusion until the identity of the person who had descended the helicopter was revealed and their eyes widened.

"It can't be..." Alphard started but was interrupted when the person spoke.

"Alexander Lee, you are under arrest for acts of violence and terrorism."

The wind from the helicopter's blades whipped their hair and clothes about, and the tense atmosphere only thickened.

"Yuri." Alexander breathed. "How? I killed you."

"What you killed was a body double. Not once in our meetings did I actually meet you myself."

"Why?"

"You see, Alexander, you didn't clean up after yourself as well as you thought you did. We uncovered information that led me to believe you would not hesitate to kill me." Alexander's eyes darkened. "What we found was a lost file on you and it seems that you have quite the...colourful, background." Natsume Yuri pushed her glasses back up along the bridge of her nose and grinned arrogantly.

"I assigned Canaan to your infiltration, and everything up until this point had been planned out by me. At first Alphard's involvement had been a surprise, but I soon used that to my advantage."

Alphard felt her stomach drop. Had Canaan been keeping this a secret all along? Had she actually let herself get caught?

As if hearing her thoughts, Yuri continued speaking. "We knew of your plans to defeat Alphard, and her involvement with Canaan wasn't very secret. I had Canaan make sure that she steered these two in the direction I needed and then I ordered her to let you capture her." This time even Alexander's eyes widened. All along she thought that she had been a step ahead of everyone but Yuri had been 10 steps further.

"I must applaud you," Alexander spoke, "not even I saw this coming. But," the terrorist leader attacked one of the soldiers closest to her and ripped the gun from his hands. She bashed the butt of the gun so hard against his head that it killed him in an instant. "I bet none of you saw this coming either!" Alexander aimed the gun at Alphard, and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Canaan jumped forward and knocked the gun to the side, diverting the spray of bullets and saving Alphard from gaining a few new holes. They struggled and moved dangerously close to the edge of the roof.

Alexander growled furiously, angry that her last chance had been ruined. Everything was going to hell and she was smart enough to know that there was no possible escape from this unless she was incredibly lucky, and Alexander didn't believe in luck.

"I won't let you kill her." Canaan whispered fiercely, looking deeply into Alexander's eyes, unflinching. The terrorist realized that the earlier murderous trance Canaan had been in was gone and now the girl looked like she was finally feeling her injuries again and the result of her strenuous activity. A sudden thought occurred to Alexander.

_If I can't destroy her body, I'll crush her soul, _Alexander thought with a sadistic grin and abruptly pulled Canaan into her arms. The synesthete uttered a cry of surprise and then gasped as she felt them tip over. Alexander sent an evil grin to Alphard as she took a step back and let herself fall over the edge.

"CANAAN!" Alphard screamed and ran forward. By some miracle she managed to grab Canaan's wrist and didn't fall over with them, because Raiden had been right behind her and grabbed Alphard around her waist to stop her from bolting over.

"Al, feel around and get the gun from my hip." Raiden managed to utter and grunted with the effort of holding three people from falling. Alphard didn't spare words and reached behind her to retrieve the gun. It took a few seconds for her to find it and when she did Alphard hastily pulled the gun out and shakily pointed it down at Alexander.

Canaan tried to shake her off but Alexander was holding on too tight. The only way would be to shoot her. "Do it!" Canaan yelled and looked up at Alphard in desperation.

"No!" Alexander shouted, her voice halting all movement. "No one takes me out!" She said, "If I have to die then it will be by my own hands." Her face set in determination, and then her smirk dropped into a frown and her eyes closed.

Before anyone could say anything or attempt to shoot, Alexander had let go. Everyone watched in shock as the merciless Alexander Lee fell to her death, by her own hand.

* * *

_Extra Note: I'm sorry for this terrible chapter T-T I'm really sorry. If I didn't finish and post this, though, I would NEVER finish this story. But still, I'm sorry for this awful chapter and I hope I can make it up to you with the last chapter. Thank you for reading ^^_


	31. Chapter 31: So Cold

Author's Note: I will put a long note at the bottom explaining this chapter ^^ don't want to mention anything here because then I'd give a few things away that I'd rather let you figure out on your own XD enjoy! (Song by Breaking Benjamin)

Chapter 31: So Cold

* * *

"_Crowded streets are cleared away one by one. Hollow heroes separate as they run. You're so cold. Keep your hand in mine. Wise men wonder while strong men die. Show me how it ends it's alright; show me how defenseless you really are. Satisfied and empty inside. Well, that's alright, let's give this another try. If you find your family, don't you cry. In this land of make-believe, dead and dry. You're so cold, but you feel alive. Lay your hand on me one last time. It's alright."_

* * *

_Curtains bellowed about the open window as a gust of wind flew in from the outside. Half asleep, the young girl in her bed shivered as the chilly fingers of air brushed across her cheeks. _

_The 5 year old mustered up her courage and energy to climb out of her warm and secure bed to tread the darkness to close the window that had been forgotten open. Small feet padded on the soft carpet until they stopped by the window side. _

_The girl blinked the sleep from her eyes and reached up to pull the window closed. She nearly stumbled but caught herself by gripping the icy iron bars. She shivered again and turned to close the window properly when a shadow sneaking across the backyard caught her attention. _

_She turned her innocent blue eyes to the silent figure and watched in curiosity as whatever it was melted into the shadows and disappeared among the many other black shapes of the night._

_Thinking nothing more of it, the young girl finally closed the window and started her way back to her bed, allowing a giant yawn to take her. Before she could climb back under the covers she heard the sound of shattering glass and a loud thump. Her heart lurched in panic and she froze._

_There were more sounds, footsteps and then a door being kicked open. A second later a surprised scream could be heard, and then a loud slap._

"_Mommy." The girl whispered after recognising her mother's panicked voice. Finding her courage returning to her, the child walked towards her door on shaking legs and opened it with equally trembling fingers. She heard her mother scream again and suddenly burst into a run. _

_As she turned the corner of the hallway that would lead her to the stairs, her mother came rushing towards her with a panicked expression on her face. _

"_Mommy, what's going on?" The girl exclaimed, trying with all her might to keep her tears at bay. The look on her mother's face sent her heart racing in fear._

"_Alex, honey, I need you to do something for me." The woman crouched down and pulled the girl into her arms. As she spoke she shot a hurried look over her shoulder at the stairs. The sound of footsteps echoed up towards them. "I need you to go and hide under your bed. Don't come out unless I get you, okay? Can you do that for me?" _

"_But why mommy? Is that blood? What's going on?" Her tears could not stay away any longer and a steady stream of tears fell from her eyes as Alex touched her mother's injured cheek. A long gash stretched out from her ear until her chin, deep enough to let a large amount of blood seep out and drip from her jaw. The footsteps sounded louder and closer._

"_Alexander Lee!" The mother said sternly, though with a heavy edge of panic, "Please go and hide, there are some bad men here and if you don't hide they will hurt you." The woman looked into her daughter's widened blue eyes, so much like her own._

"_O-okay." Alexander wanted to question it, to demand that her mother hide with her, but the approaching footsteps and her mother's panicked expression made her suck down her words and follow her mother into her room. Before she crawled underneath her bed she pulled on her mother's shirt and looked up at her with tear filled eyes._

"_You'll come back to fetch me when the bad men leave, right mommy?" Alexander asked in fear._

_Her mother hesitated but managed to give her daughter a soft smile "Alexander," She bent down and pulled the girl into her arms again. "Mommy will try her best to come get you, okay? Just wait for me and be quiet. Don't come out until I get you, no matter what you hear or see. Promise me?" Alexander shook in her mother's arms._

"_Okay. I love you mommy!" She tightened her arms around her mother's neck and refused to let go._

"_Alexander, you need to hide now." The footsteps reached the end of the stairs and started down the hallway towards the room the two were in._

_Alexander finally let go of her mother and received a soft kiss upon her forehead. _

"_I love you too, my little angel. Now hide." The woman made sure her daughter had hidden herself well enough under the bed before she turned to the door and watched as the handle turned and the door slowly fell open._

"_Has she come out from under the bed yet?" A concerned man asked._

"_Not yet. She refuses to come out even when I tell her that her daddy is here. It's like she can't even see who I am." A man with curly black hair, much like Alexander's, replied and buried his face in his hands._

_It had been a few days since the night Alexander's mother was attacked and mutilated right before the child's innocent eyes. After discovering the scene they had tried everything to get the young girl to come out from under the bed, but she refused and continuously stated that mommy would come back to get her and she was not to leave there until she did._

"_I can't believe this happened. For a girl her age to witness something like that…" The man shook his head in concern and patted his grieving partner on the back._

"_I still haven't come to terms with the fact that they murdered my wife. I never knew that my involvement in this case would lead to this… I can't… if only…" To the man's surprise, Alexander's father dissolved into agonizing tears. He was known as a man of steel, one who hardly showed emotion and never his weaknesses. But there he was, in front of his work colleague, crying into his hands. _

_Mr Lee was a detective for the local police and had taken on a very difficult case, despite his wife's arguments on the matter. It was a case that was known for its brutal murders and the killer's tendency to target the people investigating the case. _

_Unfortunately the murderer had managed to escape, but he had brutally killed Mrs Lee in front of Alexander who had remained silently hid underneath the bed. But her young eyes hadn't been able to look away from the shocking images or the spray of blood. Her ears hadn't been able to tune out the agonizing screams of her mother, the maliciously cruel laugh of the man and the sickening sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking. _

_Eventually the screams stopped, but the brutality carried on until the body was barely even recognisable. _

"_Look, you couldn't have known that this was going to happen. Just focus on your daughter right now, I'm sure she needs you after what she went through." The man placed a comforting hand on Mr Lee's shoulder. _

"_Yeah… Yeah…" He stopped his tears and lifted his head. Mr Lee's voice sounded devoid of emotion and his eyes held a fire of hate so strong that his partner had to resist the urge to flinch. He hoped this incident wouldn't lead to any further tragedies._

"_Hey, look! It's the mute!" A boy ran past a now 10 year old Alexander and pointed at her while he mocked her. His group of friends followed him with similar insults and laughed until they were out of sight._

_Alexander merely stared at the ground as she tightened her grip on the straps of her bag and continued to walk towards school. When she arrived there she was ignored by everyone like usual, accept a select few who had taken a disliking towards her withdrawn nature. They had started picking on her since the first day, and Alexander had ignored it and pretended like it wasn't happening._

_It didn't really affect her much since she hardly felt any type of emotion. But over time their mocking got carried away and she was pushed to her limit. Each time she remained silent and would never react. There was only so much an emotionally scarred 10 year old could take, however._

"_Miss Mute!"_

"_The Retard!"_

"_Empty Head!"_

"_Stupid The Mute!" _

_The group of boys circled her in front of the school building, blocking her path towards the door and flinging their usual insulting nicknames at her._

_She clenched her hands into fists and looked down again, hoping that her lack of response would make them bored and get them to leave her alone. It didn't work however, as the leader of the boys decided to take it a step further and shoved Alexander backwards. She fell onto the ground in shock and landed roughly on her hands and knees._

_The other boys hesitated for a moment, feeling that their leader had gone a bit too far, but were too weak to actually voice the thought. They all started laughing after the leader of their group ripped Alexander's bag off of her back and tossed it onto the ground, kicking it around in the dirt. _

_Alexander watched in anger as they dirtied and damaged the bag she had received from her mother before she had died. Feeling her last shred of control snap, Alexander grabbed a nearby stick, grabbed the thick wood tightly in her hands and started walking towards the boys. They had all started a kicking game with her bag, and took turns kicking it to each other. _

_One of them noticed Alexander's approached, but his warning was too late. With vicious force Alexander swung the stick and slammed it against the leader's head. __He__ fell over in surprise and stared up at her with shock._

_Alexander threw the stick to the side and pounced on top of the boy. She raised her fist and the smashed it down on his face. A satisfied shiver rocked down her spine at the feel of her fist connecting with his jaw. This led her to punching him again and again, harder and harder. She felt almost giddy a__t__ the final release of all of her pent up anger and pain. _

_A euphoric high overtook her as blood spilt and her fist turned red. Whether it was her blood or his, she would never know. All she realized was that she had never felt so alive before, ever since her mother's death._

_The other boys __had__ run away in fear and soon returned with the school principle, who pulled a wickedly smiling and panting Alexander off of the unconscious and bloody boy. _

_Alexander shot the other boys a threatening look, feeling wondrous at their flinches and looks of fear. She had felt it, the power, and the undeniable joy in causing others the pain she felt consumed by. For once it didn't feel like her heart was on fire or that her chest was being cut into by a rusty blade. For once she felt in control. _

_The door opened and slammed shut with great force causing the windows to shake. Loud footsteps carried over the wooden floors and up the stairs. _

_Alexander made her way to her room, slammed the door shut and then punched a hole through her cupboard door. She didn't even feel pain as the skin on her knuckles broke and a slight amount of blood trickled out. All she could feel was the uncontrollable anger bubbling inside of her chest and spilling out through her fists as she pound__ed__ them against the door again and again._

_She turned suddenly and then kicked her desk chair across the room. Before she could cause any other damage to her room, the door opened and her father gave her a blank stare._

"_Alexander," he started._

"_Shut up, just shut up! I know damn well what you are going to say, _dad_, and it won't work."_

"_Alexander, you are 17 now, isn't it time you stopped getting into fights at school? I've lost count of all the schools you've been expelled from." Though his eyes took on a sad look his voice remained devoid of emotion. He was exhausted and just sick of having to deal with all of Alexander's fights. _

"_I don't care. Those idiots deserve to get the shit beaten out of them! Life is cruel and reality is brutal. There is no such thing as happiness!" Alexander directed her words at her father with a furious voice. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" She shouted when he failed to respond._

_Mr Lee managed to avoid being hit with the door by stepping away a second before it was slammed. He sighed and returned to his study, a full bottle of alcohol standing invitingly next to the many empty ones beside it. He continued to down the entire bottle and ignored the burn in his throat or stomach. Bottle after bottle he drank until he collapsed from the sheer amount of alcohol._

_A few hours later Alexander opened her room and walked towards her father's study with a scowl on her face. She felt guilty at having shouted at him and wanted to apologise, like she had many times before. It was true that she started a lot of fights at school, but she was always provoked. People felt an insatiable need to push her until she snapped._

_It was only recently that she had gone out to hurt people on her own without them even looking at her. She just found such pleasure in their looks of fear and panic, and especially with the sight of their dirty blood._

"_Dad, I know I said some bad things back then, but," Alexander sighed and looked up at the closed door. She hadn't built up the courage to enter the room and face her father yet, fearing his look of disappointment and hurt. _

"_I know that you try. It isn't easy on you either and I put you through a lot. Even though I seem like the shittiest kid ever, I do still love you. Dad, I'm sorry about everything. I don't know why I lash out at you when you are really the only person I have left. I should treat you better, but I'm just filled with so much anger and pain that it consumes me." She clutched at her chest as a familiar burning ache started at the centre of her chest. _

"_I don't show it at all, but I honestly need you. I don't know what I'd do without you." She bowed her head in shame and took a deep breath. There was still no reply from the study so she opened the door and tentatively stepped in. "Dad?"_

_Alexander noticed an alarming amount of empty bottles cluttering her father's desk, but he wasn't seating at his chair like he usually was. _

_Now concerned, she walked over to the desk only to freeze in horror at what she saw. _

_Her father lay dead on the floor, his eyes and mouth agape as his skin was pale and his lips blue. It was obvious that he had drunk himself to death and had drowned in his own vomit._

_Impatient fingers tapped against the steering wheel as emotionless blue eyes stared out through the windshield. _

_Alexander drew an impatient breath as she continued to watch the house that still remained empty. Its occupants had yet to return and she had been waiting for an hour. _

_Suddenly, her phone rang._

"_Yes?" Alexander answered in a stone cold voice without removing her eyes from the house she was parked near._

"_Alexander! Where are you?" Her father's former work partner exclaimed over the phone and sighed in relief._

"_Out." She replied simply and wondered why the man still bothered with her._

"_You're not… looking for him again, are you?" The man asked._

"_Whether I am or not is none of your business." Alexander replied in a clipped tone and narrowed her eyes. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white._

"_Alex," the raven haired woman flinched at the use of her shortened name. She hated that name. "I know he killed your mother, but you shouldn't go out and do this on your own. What do you plan on doing when you find him? Leave it to the law. This man is dangerous and you are only putting yourself in danger."_

_Alexander chuckled in honest amusement. She stopped when a car parked at the house, and grinned a predatory grin. _

"_I plan on killing him." She said and ended the call. __Making the decision to disappear as soon as the had acomplished her goal._

_Alexander waited until the man and his family __had__ entered the house before she confidently strode towards the front door and kicked it open. _

"_Excuse me, who are-" she interrupted the woman's shocked question by pulling her gun out and shooting her in the head. Alexander watched in fascinated detachment as the body dropped onto the floor and blood began to seep out and stain the wooden floor. _

_A little girl r__a__n out, having heard the gun shot, and froze in terror at seeing her mother on the ground and Alexander holding the gun still aimed at where her mother had been standing not even a minute before._

_Alexander approached the girl, who looked to be 4 years old, and crouched down beside her. The kid was in too much of a shock to respond and merely watched a__s__ Alexander looked her in the eye._

"_Ah, what nostalgia. This happened to me too, you know." She spoke emotionlessly and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "I watched your daddy butcher my mother when I was only 5. Karma is a horrible bitch, it seems." She stood and shoved the girl towards the front door. "Now run and tell the neighbours that the bad lady killed your mom and is going to torture your daddy." Without a second glance Alexander turned and searched the house._

_She found the man in a shack in the backyard. The room seemed to be soundproof, which answered her question of why he hadn't come running at the gun shot. _

_She surprised him while he had been looking though a photo album, which she realized with uninterest was a collection of pictures of all of his victims, and successfully knocked him out._

_When he woke up he found that he was in an unfamiliar room and was strapped to a chair with something stuffed in his mouth._

"_And you finally wake up. I was getting impatient and nearly started the fun without you." Alexander grinned coolly and knelt down in front of him. She looked into his familiar face and felt her usually emotionless heart awaken and shake with blind fury. She controlled herself though, as she had been doing so for the past 5 years after her father's death._

_His questioning eyes soon widened as he recognized her blue eyes. They were the same eyes of the woman he had murdered 16 years ago._

"_Now that you are awake however," Alexander lifted__ a__ scalpel from a nearby table and allowed the light to glint off of the sharp edge, causing the man to struggle and mumble in panic. "I can have the fun I have been dying to have ever since I realized how much fun it is to watch a person squirm in pain." _

_She stepped forward and slashed the blade across his skin in a calm fluid motion. She grinned wickedly at his scream of pain and the dark liquid dripping and soon pouring from his skin._

* * *

"Why am I thinking about that now?" Alexander whispered to herself as she fell. "It's too late anyway."

Everything had happened and this was it. The end. The struggle was over, and so was her pointless life. The idiocy of it all made Alexander smile in amusement.

Life truly was essentially cruel.

* * *

_Extra Note: While writing chapter 23 I was listening to music and the song 'So Cold' came up. Then I suddenly got the idea to add Alexander's story, to show how and why she became such an evil person. Every person has a deeper story from their childhood that explains their personality, born from their experiences. I hope I did her story justice. Does knowing her story make you all feel some sympathy towards her? I'd like to know how you felt about her death ^^ Even though I made Alexander for the soul purpose of being the bad guy, I still love her. Her death does sadden me even though it's my doing. That's all I have to say for now, thank you for reading!_


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note: Alright, so at the precise moment of writing this author's note I am terribly sick T-T damn sinus! School started and I haven't been able to watch anime at all this week, and now I'm half dying. It's a sign, I bet. I need anime to survive, lol, but anyway! Welcome to the last chapter of To The Sound Of The Waves T-T :D I decided, because I love every single one of you readers, that I will make this chapter as long as possible ^^ let's see if I succeed or not O_o (Song by Nickelback)

Chapter 32: Far Away

* * *

"_This time, this place. Misused, mistakes. Too long, too late. Who was I to make you wait? Just one chance, just one breath; just in case there's just one left. 'Cause you know, you know, you know. That I love you. I have loved you all along, and I miss you__. __Been far away for far too long."_

* * *

Alphard sat alone on a bench across from a hospital. She had a cup of coffee in her hand that had long since gone cold, but she hadn't noticed. The air was slightly chilly, forcing most to wear warm clothes. Almost matching Alphard's mood, the sky was dark and grey. It must have been around 7 p.m. and night had already fallen.

The former terrorist had her arm stretched out on the back of the bench with her leg crossed over the other. On her face was a very blank expression, but on her mind was a torrent of thoughts.

It had been a week since they finally managed to get Canaan back, but in this time the synesthete had been asleep as she recovered from the worst of her injuries. Alphard had stayed by her side almost every moment, but now she was getting tired of waiting for her love to wake up so she could get the proper story. She didn't want to believe Yuri. She didn't want what the woman said to be true. It was a scary thought, to think that maybe everything that had happened with Canaan so far had been planned for the sole purpose of stopping Alexander.

For the first time in her life Alphard was truly afraid. She hated to admit it, but her heart felt heavy and it ached. Even just doubting Canaan hurt, but doubting the synesthete's feelings for her and their relationship hurt the worst.

_Canaan… pleases don't let everything have been a lie. I don't think I could handle that loss… I won't be stubborn this time, I'll accept your help, your hand, your love… just…_

Alphard grabbed a handful of her shirt above her heart and leaned forward until she had her head touching her knees. Her stomach hurt and her thoughts were doing nothing to help.

"I'm sure she has good reasons, Al." Raiden approached her friend after having finally found her and sat down beside her. "Canaan does love you."

"But what if she doesn't? What if she still hates me and only pretended to love me so that she could get our help in this mission of hers?" Alphard abruptly sat up and ran a hand over her face. She was running on so little sleep.

"Don't be an idiot." Raiden lifted a cup of steaming coffee to her lips and took a long sip. "I can feel emotions, remember? I've felt what your lady trouble feels for you. It's pretty intense." Raiden took another tangy sip of the brown liquid and tilted her head up to look at the sky.

"I just… feeling is still new to me. I don't know how to handle my emotions anymore. Up until a week ago I was almost emotionally dead again, the only thing I could feel was that anger and the panic."

"I remember." Raiden sighed.

"Rai, I never properly apologised to you."

"There is no apology needed."

"No," Alphard turned and surprised Raiden by pulling her into a tight hug. At first the red head simply sat there with her arms outstretched, confusion etched onto her face, and then her eyes softened and she smiled as she hugged back. "I was a complete asshole to you, and no matter how many times you say it doesn't matter, it won't change the fact that I hurt you and secretly it does matter to you."

Raiden gave Alphard's shoulder a pat. "Yeah, it did sting a bit when you shoved me that time, and when you threatened to do bodily harm to me, and also when you shot my car…"

Alphard sighed deeply, feeling like an old lady with all of the sighing she had done. "And for all of that I'm sorry. You're too good of a friend. I don't know if I would have still been as helpful and supportive to you if you had been in my shoes."

"Nah," When Alphard pulled out of the hug Raiden gave her a flick on the forehead, "I know you would do the same for me. We're friends, right? I forgive you, Alphard, so you can stop beating yourself up for what happened."

Alphard glared at Raiden for the flick to her forehead and then broke into a grin. "You really are one big softie." She gave Raiden a mock punch, making her laugh.

"Oh please, who's the one sitting here clutching at my chest because the love of my life just went through hell and back and I'm terrified of losing her, hm?"

Alphard rolled her eyes. "At least I have a girlfriend, you know."

"Right." Raiden nodded and smiled. "Maybe one day I'll be as lucky as you and find my own lady trouble."

"No, if you're lucky then she won't be trouble at all." They both chuckled at that and then grew silent.

It was nice outside. Peaceful, dark, calm. The air felt cool and fresh and tasted even fresher. Alphard leaned back with closed eyes and inhaled deeply. Talking to Raiden like this had taken her mind off of the things stressing her and it had helped to relieve some of her anxiety.

"Oh yeah!" Raiden suddenly exclaimed. "I came here looking for you because Canaan is finally awake and she wants to see you."

"What?!" Alphard shot up out of the seat and stared at Raiden with wide eyes. "Why didn't you say that first?"

Raiden just tilted her head to the side and grinned. "You needed a little time to lighten that heart of yours before seeing her, my friend. Trust me. Now go to your woman."

Not needing to be told twice, Alphard turned and took off running. People gave her weird looks as she ran into the hospital towards the stairs.

"Miss, please no running in the hospital!" A nurse called out, but Alphard ignored her and darted through the door to the stairs and scaled them two at a time. When she reached the third floor she pushed through the door and sprinted to Canaan's room.

When Alphard burst into the room she paused at the door to catch her breath and leaned against the doorframe, all the while keeping her eyes trained on Canaan.

Her lover was resting with her eyes closed, her head turned away from Alphard so she couldn't see if she was sleeping or not. Quietly Alphard approached the bed and gently sat down beside the synesthete. She reached out and brushed a few stray hairs from Canaan's forehead, and then felt her heart flutter when Canaan's eyes opened and turned to her. The silver of her iris seemed to swirl with so much emotion as she stared up at Alphard.

"Hey." Alphard said softly with a smile. "How do you feel?" Canaan didn't respond and simply stared with unblinking, cloudy eyes, making Alphard frown with worry. "Canaan? What's wrong?" Faster than lightning Canaan shot up and wrapped her arms around Alphard. She had her arms around her neck and hid her face against Alphard's fluttering pulse point at her throat.

"Alphard," Canaan whispered and took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar scent of the dark haired woman she had missed so badly. "I'm sorry."

Alphard gently pulled Canaan onto her lap and properly wrapped her arms around her. She nuzzled the top of her head with her nose and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. "It's alright." She rubbed circles on Canaan's lower back to help calm her trembling and breathed a sigh of relief. This reaction lifted the heaviness from her heart. If Canaan didn't love her then she wouldn't be trembling like this in her arms.

"I should probably explain everything." Canaan said against Alphard's neck, causing the raven-head to shiver at the feel of warm breath on her skin. It felt wonderful and Alphard smiled.

"I would appreciate that, but you should rest for now. You haven't recovered properly yet and I'm sure we have time to wait until explanations are made."

Canaan sniffled slightly, Alphard realized she had been crying, and wiped the wetness from her eyes. "Okay." She said softly, almost childlike. Alphard couldn't resist it and pulled back so that she could look into her eyes.

"I don't care what your reasons are. I love you, Canaan, and I won't ever leave you again."

"So marry me."

Alphard blinked. "W-what?"

Canaan blushed and looked away. She nervously played with the edge of her hospital gown. "I-if you mean it that you'll stay, despite what I did until now, then marry me. I… I want to be tied to you in every way possible." Canaan swallowed and avoided Alphard's eyes. "I know that I'm slow with things like being normal. All I've known in life until now is death and fighting. But, I love you, I know that now more than ever, and I might not be the best wife in general, but I love you so it should be okay even if I end up being an idiot." Canaan bit her lip. She was rambling and she knew she was doing it.

Alphard was stiff, making Canaan panic that she had misread Alphard's feelings and maybe she was jumping too far ahead, but then the raven-head relaxed and chuckled. "I always figured that if we ever decided to take that step further in our relationship, I would be the one to propose."

Canaan sighed in relief. "Why is that?"

Alphard leaned back to look at Canaan properly. "Well, I'm the more assertive one in the relationship." Canaan chuckled. Alphard smiled and took her hand, gently intertwining their fingers. "I do agree that I want to be tied to you in every way possible, but I don't think we need to jump ahead so fast. I love you Canaan, and I will love you until the day I take my last breath. We have our whole lives to decide on something like this."

"So that's a no?" Canaan pouted cutely and Alphard couldn't resist giving those pouting lips a thorough kiss. When she eventually broke the kiss and let Canaan breathe, the synesthete was flushed.

"It's not a no but it isn't a yes either. It's a yes on living with you forever though. It's just, marriage is a big deal."

"Will you say yes if I keep asking?"

"Maybe. Now, lie down and rest. You still need it." Alphard helped Canaan back into the bed and was about to take a seat on the chair when Canaan grabbed her wrist and gently tugged on it.

"Lay with me? In the bed? Please?" She asked pleadingly and the needy look in her eyes melted Alphard's heart, so she nodded and took off her shoes and then climbed in beside Canaan. She moulded her body to Canaan's back and nuzzled against the back of her neck.

"Mm, you smell nice. I missed you so much." Alphard admitted softly. She felt Canaan's hand tighten around her own.

"I really thought I was going to die, and all I could think about was you."

"But you're alright now, and once you're healed we'll go back to our home and become beach bums again."

Canaan chuckled. "Our home… but, isn't it still damaged?"

"Yeah, with all of this drama I never got around to finding out about my house. But we can always stay by Raiden until it's fixed and we can go back."

"Oh, yeah, that's true."

They lapsed into comfortable silence, each taking comfort in the sound of the other's breathing. It didn't take long for Canaan to fall asleep again and Alphard was soon to follow.

Only 2 hours passed as the couple slept. Raiden walked in and paused at the door, smiled at the cute scene before her, and then sighed sadly at having to wake them up. After running her hand through her scarlet locks the red head went over to the couple and gently shook Alphard by the shoulder.

"No, go away." Alphard grumbled and snuggled closer to Canaan who mumbled something and shifted.

"Al, get up. You have a visitor."

"Tell them to come back later." Alphard responded.

Raiden sigh and rubbed at her temple. "Natsume Yuri is like seconds from walking into the door." And as she said that the one and only Yuri breezed through the door and paused halfway into the room.

"Well this is interesting." The woman readjusted her glasses and raised an eyebrow.

Alphard immediately sat up, looked from Yuri to Canaan still nestled against her chest, and then simply rested back down, but seated. "Canaan," Alphard rubbed a finger along her cheek to try and wake her, "you need to get up." Canaan moaned in displeasure and shook her head.

"But you're so warm and comfy." She grabbed two fistfuls of Alphard's shirt and then lifted her head and met Alphard's eyes. They both paused as their gazes locked and they exchanged intensities. Alphard smiled as she ran her eyes along her lover's adorable, yet stern features, and felt an extreme urge to lean forward and kiss the tip of her nose.

Yuri cleared her throat to get everyone's attention and resisted the urge to leave the room. She hated such blatant shows of affection, especially that of two people that were not supposed to be romantically involved, gender-wise.

_Damn it all,_ Yuri thought with a clenched jaw and took a breath to calm her anger. Raiden felt the train of thought and narrowed her eyes at the bespectacled woman. The red head moved closer and stood just behind her, making sure that her presence was threatening and intimidating. To her delight she felt the shift in emotions from Yuri and smirked that she had made the woman nervous.

Canaan had finally realized the situation and all traces of relaxation disappeared from her face. She remained on top of Alphard, but frowned over to the woman. "Yuri." She said seriously.

"Canaan, I'm sure you know the reason for my being here." Yuri stated formally and tried her best to ignore the glaring red head and the now agitated former terrorist, who had noticed Raiden's behaviour and now felt suspicious about her reason for the visit.

"The job." Canaan said, and spared a quick glance at Alphard. The taller of the two caught the look in her peripheral vision and turned her eyes to Canaan's face. She seemed irritated and slightly panicked; unsure, as if she was expecting something but wasn't really sure if it was going to happen.

"Indeed. Canaan, now that you have completed your job assigned to you by me, I have no choice but to fulfil my end of the deal." Yuri sighed deeply, like she was struggling to get through this, which, Alphard mused, she probably was.

The raven head still had no idea what was going on, so she watched with unease and hoped that she could learn some major details if she just quietly watched.

Canaan nodded but didn't relax. "Completely? Just like you said?" She asked.

Yuri nodded. "I will honour my end of the deal as long as you uphold your end of it, too. You will not hear from or see me again." The agent gave a flick of her hand in a wave of dismissal, and then left the room without another word. Raiden glared at the back of her head as she left, and squinted her eyes.

"Canaan, you-"

"Yeah," Canaan interrupted and smiled. "Yeah." She rested her head against Alphard's chest and sighed in relief. All the tension in her body had drained away, and once again she felt exhausted, despite how long she had been asleep in the hospital bed since her rescue.

Alphard looked at Raiden in question, still completely lost on the exchange that had just happened, both with Yuri and Canaan, and Raiden and Canaan. Raiden simply grinned, shrugged her shoulders and sauntered out of the room.

"Canaan?" Alphard looked at her girlfriend's sleeping face and smiled in affection. Gently she climbed out from under her and tucked her comfortably in.

All of this was confusing and Alphard felt like she was going to shoot someone if she didn't get some explanations, and soon. She was prepared to wait as long as it would have taken for Canaan to speak, but after that whole cryptic conversation with the enemy, she couldn't take the curiosity any longer.

Alphard left the room and headed for the hospital cafeteria. One elevator ride later and a few minutes of searching, Alphard found Raiden seated in the far off corner of the room, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She looked up as Alphard approached and took a long sip of the sweet, strong liquid.

"The lady trouble asleep again?" Raiden asked.

Alphard sat down in front of her and nodded. "Rai, can you please tell me what the hell is going on?" Raiden shook her head. "Why not?"

"No can do, Al. That's your soulmate's job. It isn't my place, and besides, I'm sure I don't know everything just from using my ability. She probably has a lot of emotions and thoughts about all of this that I couldn't pick up on."

Alphard sighed deeply and slumped down in the chair, and then crossed her arms over her chest. "Well at least everyone is safe and it doesn't seem like there are any lose ends." Raiden paused in her pursuit of another sip of coffee and glanced at Alphard.

"Not quite."

"What now?"

"Well, they didn't find Alexander's body. We all saw her fall, witnesses claimed that she did in fact land on the ground and the amount of blood suggests that she got pretty messed up."

"Then where the hell could her body have disappeared to?"

Raiden shrugged. "When everyone was in a panic someone managed to drag it away, somehow. There was a blood trail leading away from the building, and then it ended, so I'm guessing the body was driven away in a car."

"What the hell?" Alphard shook her head in disbelief. "What if Alexander managed to survive?"

Raiden chuckled. "Alphard, she wasn't you. If she did manage to survive such a high fall, the impact with the cement, broken bones and disfiguration and somehow managed to drag herself over to her car and drive off into the sunset, then she would have bled out before she even made the next turn."

"That's true…" Alphard sighed. "I just don't want any more drama. I'm done with this shitty life of violence. What I want is to live the rest of my life peacefully with Canaan, that girl that I used to put through hell but will now go through hell for."

Raiden chuckled. "Oh, aren't you just the sappy romantic. So? When will you buy a ring and pop the question? How many kids will you have?" When Alphard simply looked away in thought, Raiden nearly choked on her coffee. "No shit, are you considering it?"

"No but," Alphard sheepishly scratched her cheek. "In the heat of the moment Canaan kind of proposed to me."

"That girl, she sure knows how to overcome your personality issues."

"My personality issues?" Alphard raised an eyebrow.

"She probably knows that you aren't the kind to just suddenly take that step. That, or she really was just doing it in the heat of the moment. Oh, and you used to have really terrible personality issues."

Alphard smirked, but it was a ghost of the smirk she used to sport, especially in the days during Canaan's rescue. "Yeah, I did, and I'm completely sorry for how I abused you. I never knew you were such a baby."

Raiden snorted. "I had to resist the urge to bitch slap you, but I knew that inside you were crying your heart out for that girl you love. I only tease you about all of this now because it's all over, and I care about you. As your friend it is my obligation to give you shit."

Alphard rubbed a hand over her face. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you feel you need to do as my 'friend'." Alphard stood from the chair.

"Hey!" Raiden glared at Alphard as she turned and headed back to Canaan. She broke out into a smile and then sighed deeply. Seeing Alphard like this again, a lot less dangerous, was a relief and a pleasure. The red head had been terrified that she had lost her friend for good but it seemed that Alphard, the true, good natured, Alphard was back.

* * *

After Alphard returned to Canaan's room she decided to climb back into the bed with her to sleep for the night. A nurse came in at some point through the night but couldn't bring herself to wake the two or separate them, and faster than anticipated, morning came, and then another week went by.

It was finally time for Canaan to leave, since her injuries had healed well and had even surprised the doctors, and she was being discharged.

Currently, Canaan was busy changing into normal clothes, relieved to get out of the drab hospital gown, while Alphard sat on the bed and watched her with an amused smile.

"Alphard?" Canaan asked, her back facing the former terrorist.

"Mm?" Alphard responded and leaned forward with her elbow on her knee and her chin rested on the palm of her hand.

"Could you stop staring at me like that?"

"Why?"

"It feels creepy."

"But, my love, you are so beautiful, especially when you are naked."

Canaan raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh? Well, how can you be so sure? You've only seen me naked a few times…" She said tauntingly.

"Mmm, well I'll just have to fix that and see if it changes my mind." Alphard reached out and pulled Canaan against her. The synesthete stood between her legs, arms around her neck with Alphard's hands resting on her hips, her thumbs gently rubbing circles on the exposed skin.

"And will it?" Canaan asked as her grin widened.

Alphard leaned in and moved her hands to caress Canaan's bare stomach. "That depends." Alphard gently brushed her nose against Canaan's.

"On?"

"On how many times I get to see you like this." To emphasise her words she raked her fingers down Canaan's side, eliciting a long exhale of air from the synesthete. "But I doubt that I will ever think of you any less as beautiful as you are now." Alphard leaned in even closer, bringing their lips closer, inches apart. "As mushy as it is, I love you more than I can express."

Canaan sighed happily and pulled Alphard against her as she also leaned forward, bringing their bodies into full contact. "I love you, Alphard." She said softly and, not able to handle the anticipation any longer, leaned in and captured her lover's lips.

They kissed softly, getting reacquainted with the other, attempting to make up for all of the kisses missed out on due to their separation. It was slow, and based mainly on welcoming the other home, but soon it heated up and tongues and teeth were introduced.

Thankfully Canaan's injuries were relatively healed so Alphard didn't have to worry too much in controlling her passion, but she used caution anyway when she slowly flipped them over, laying Canaan down on her back. She hovered above her and lightly pressed their bodies together.

Canaan was still just in her underwear, so Alphard had a lot of exposed skin to entertain herself with, and drive Canaan insane with. The synesthete squirmed and bit down onto Alphard's bottom lip for some form of revenge.

Alphard moaned softly and felt her skin burn up. Their hearts were racing with the rising intensity between them, and slowly Alphard inched her hand down over Canaan's smooth, hard stomach. Her breath hitched as she tried to concentrate on where her hand was going instead of getting lost in how wonderful Canaan was kissing her.

A violent shiver rocked down Canaan's spine when she felt fingers brush against her inner thigh.

"It's been so long…" Alphard breathed after breaking the kiss and moved her lips to Canaan's throat.

"N-not that long…" Canaan responded, struggling to form a proper thought because of the raging heat inside of her body that was quickly increasing.

"For me, even a day away from you is an eternity." Alphard gently bit down on the trembling skin of Canaan's neck, and traced lazy circles along her thigh. "I want to make love to you, Canaan, because I haven't been able to in over a week." Alphard paused in the caresses and gripped Canaan's thigh, making the girl gasp in surprise. "Right here, right now…" She leaned back up and reclaimed Canaan's lips again.

The white haired girl kissed back with as much passion and love and arched her body into her lover's. There was a slight ache from the injuries that hadn't healed yet, but she ignored it and focused solely on the wonderful emotions and sensations Alphard's touch was sending through her body.

"Canaan, are you feeling well enough to do this?"

"Isn't it a bit too late for that now?"

Alphard chuckled against Canaan's lips. "I suppose. We don't have enough time to go into the proper, physical details…"

Canaan growled and pulled Alphard harder against her, "Alphard, please, just do it." Canaan begged.

Alphard swallowed and returned to kissing along Canaan's throat. She let her fingers travel up Canaan's silky thigh, and then she felt the edge of her underwear. Breathing hard, Alphard pulled it aside and felt the warm wetness of Canaan on her fingertips. "Someone is excited." Alphard commented, and then slipped two fingers inside, cutting Canaan's retort off before she could have even thought of it.

Canaan moaned a bit too loudly, making Alphard cover her lips to muffle her cries as she gently thrust her fingers inside of her lover's core. Her stomach tightened and a wave of arousal nearly distracted Alphard as she felt Canaan's nails rake down her back.

"Alphard, oh God, yes." Canaan mumbled against Alphard's lips. There was just no being quiet, or still, as Canaan focused completely on her partner loving her body so wonderfully, making her hot and tremble all over.

"We have to make this quick." Alphard said and then sucked on Canaan's lower lip, and curled her fingers. Canaan moaned and cried out her lover's name with each thrust that increased in speed and intensity. At last she felt the wonderful build of tension reach its peak and tightened her arms around Alphard's neck.

"A-Alphard…"

Alphard felt Canaan's inner walls tighten around her fingers and knew she was close. "Shhhh, come for me, my love."

And that was all she needed. Canaan felt her orgasm take over her and arched her back as the pleasure numbed her brain for a second, and then she fell back, panting, and simply lay there with her eyes closed.

"I hate to rush after using up all of your energy like that, but I think we should get you dressed before one of the nurses walk in, or worse, Raiden." Alphard spared a moment to give Canaan another long, though weak, kiss, and then helped her love up and assisted her with dressing.

The synesthete had a soft smile on her face as she still basked in the afterglow and simply let Alphard help with her clothes. Her eyes felt extremely heavy, and before she knew it they had closed and she was asleep in Alphard's arms as the raven-head carried her out of the hospital and to Raiden's car.

The red head made no comment as the couple got into the backseat and she noticed Canaan nestled against Alphard's chest.

Raiden just smiled at Alphard; having a good idea of what had transpired due to the rakish smirk the former terrorist couldn't wipe off of her face, and then started the car and drove off.

Before long they reached Raiden's luxurious beach house and Alphard carried Canaan inside.

"Hungry?" Raiden asked from the kitchen when Alphard returned from putting Canaan down on the couch. She would have taken her up to the room they would be sharing for their time at Raiden's house, but Alphard wanted to be close to her and being able to simply glance over the room to see the familiar white hair was comforting.

"Not really, no." Alphard took a seat by the island counter and watched Raiden move about in the kitchen.

"Alright." Her friend said and finished with what she was doing. "I have to take care of some work related matters." Raiden took her cup of coffee and walked off to the stairs. "When Canaan wakes you can make anything from the kitchen, I don't mind."

"Okay, thanks!" Alphard called after her, and after she disappeared up the stairs, she stood and walked over to her lover curled up peacefully on the couch.

"Alphard?" Canaan asked softly.

"When did you wake, my love?" Alphard sat down and allowed the synesthete to crawl over to her and use her lap as a pillow. She looked down at Canaan's sleepy face and smiled softly as she ran her hand through her soft white hair.

"Mm, only a moment ago. Where is Raiden?"

"She's busy with work, or something. For now it's just you and me."

"Mm." Canaan yawned and stretched out until she had rotated onto her back and was staring up at Alphard. "Is there anything you need to do?" She asked.

"No, I'll start calling around for house repairs tomorrow. Right now I just want to spend the day with you, completely alone."

"You know," Canaan turned once more, facing Alphard, and snuck her hand underneath the raven-head's shirt. She caressed the warm, firm skin. "I still need to pay you back for that hospital situation."

"Oh?" Alphard caught Canaan's wondering hand and intertwined their fingers, and then brought the hand to her lips and placed soft kisses against each finger, each knuckle, and then against Canaan's wrist. "But before we get lost into the throes of our love, Canaan, we need to talk."

Canaan nodded. "Yeah, I owe you some explanations. You're not mad though, are you?"

"Well," Alphard tilted her head to the side and raised a brow, "should I be?"

"I hope not." Canaan bit her lip in worry and looked up at Alphard through long lashes. The taller of the two grinned and leaned down to kiss those tempting lips.

"Talk and I'll listen, if I get upset then we'll work through it together."

Canaan sighed. "Okay, where should I start?"

"Start with how Yuri and you ended up working together."

Alphard gave Canaan's hand a squeeze for encouragement and waited for her to start explaining.

"Everything that happened up until that confrontation with Yuri on your beach is as you know. She tried to make me kill you and instead I shot her. After that, though, I went out and looked for Yuri."

Alphard nodded, to indicate that she was listening, and realized that during that time Canaan had left the house many times to do her own personal things. It must have been quite easy to sneak around with Yuri like she had.

"Why, though?" Alphard asked,

"I knew that she would always try to catch you or kill you, so I went to make a deal with her. I offered my services for your freedom, and then she came up with the plan to capture Alexander. It was dangerous, and I could have died so easily, but I did it so that she would leave you alone and you can live your life in peace."

"You did all of this for me?"

"I did. It was hard to lie and pretend like I did, but I had to or Yuri would kill you on sight. After accepting the deal she ended up blackmailing me to make sure I never left, even by threatening to kill me in case I decided your life wasn't motivation enough.

"That bitch…" Alphard growled in anger, but calmed when a warm hand covered her cheek and she was pulled down to meet Canaan in a slow, passionate kiss.

When they pulled apart both of them sighed.

"So you believe me? You believe that what I told you is what happened?"

Alphard nodded and gave Canaan's nose a gentle flick. "Of course. I was a bit worried that everything, including our romance, was staged, but now I know the full story and I'm content."

"I really do love you Alphard, and even if I had to have paid with my life to free you from a life of prison, I would have."

Alphard pulled Canaan up into her arms and buried her face into her neck. She breathed deeply, revelling in the wonderful scent of this girl she loved so much, and shivered.

"I'm glad it never resorted to that, and I'm glad that everything is over now."

"Me too."

"Now," Alphard pulled back and stood up from the couch, pulling Canaan up with her. "Let's go for a walk on the beach and talk about possible renovations of our house."

"Heh, 'our' house. I like the sound of that." Canaan walked alongside Alphard, hands intertwined, and gripped her upper arm with her free hand so that she could better lean on her as they walked.

They made it out of the house and down the stairs to the beach.

"I do too. I want you in every part of my life."

"Does that mean you'll marry me?" Canaan blinked up at Alphard innocently and pouted.

Alphard chuckled and gave her a kiss. "Let's get our home fixed first, don't you think?"

"I guess you're right. I won't give up though."

"That's alright, because I'll eventually say yes."

"Why won't you say yes now? Don't you want to marry me?"

Alphard turned so that she was walking backwards with Canaan in front of her, and took both of her hands in her own. "Oh I do, I'm actually surprised at how much the idea appeals to me."

"Then?"

"I enjoy seeing you bed." Alphard chuckled and moved to walk back at Canaan's side. "My sadistic side hasn't completely disappeared."

Canaan pouted. "Meanie…"

"But you love me."

"I do."

"And I love you. You know, I don't think I've ever loved anyone before you."

"Alphard?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Alphard leaned closer to Canaan and grinned.

"Just kiss me, please?"

Alphard's grin transformed into a rakish grin. "Your wish is my command."

She leaned in and their lips touched. They kissed for a long while, their feet buried in the sand, fingers intertwined with the sea crashing excitedly behind them, and it was almost as if the waves were clapping.


	33. Chapter 33

Author's Note: Well, the complete end is here. So, wow, I can't believe that it's finally over. This is my longest story ever at 223 pages, and I am so proud of myself. This was an amazing journey with all of the wonderful people who supported this story and my writing. Thank you so much to every single person who read, reviewed, favourited, PM'd or followed the story or me ^^ I hope you all enjoy the end of this story, and thank you for making it all this way ^^ (Song by Elvis Blue

Chapter 33/Epilogue: Lighthouse

* * *

"_Millions of stars in one constellation. Could guide me home? You are the reason, you are my calling. Longing to hold you, longing to have you to myself, you are the one thing keeping me going now. You're the air I breathe, you're the voice inside my head. You're the fire inside my heart. Miles away, I can look down from space, Know where I've been, know where I am and where I'm going. Lost at sea I see you shine for me. You are my lighthouse_."

* * *

A year and a half had passed since the events with Alexander and Yuri. The house had been repaired and now Canaan lived there permanently. She and Alphard had fallen even more in love during the many months that had passed, and finally, through a lot of pleading on Canaan's part, Alphard accepted her proposal and the two wed on their beach, with only Raiden present.

Canaan officially gave up her profession as a mercenary and decided to try something normal for a change. She had started painting.

She found the whole concept fascinating, and with her understanding of colours, she was able to produce breath taking works of art. Since she would put onto canvas how she saw the world, many struggled to fully grasp the meaning of her paintings, but the attractive colours and smooth brush strokes tempted buyers to purchase them and take them home.

They didn't really need the money, but Canaan felt like contributing in her own way.

Thanks to a certain synesthete, Alphard was truly happy for once in her life. Just by having her wif beside her each morning she woke and every night when she went to sleep, she felt so full of life and love that she would need to resist the urge to exclaim it to the heavens.

Canaan had tried to save her those years ago, but failed due to the raven-head's stubbornness. But now she had succeeded, in a way that neither of them had expected.

And now Alphard was on her way, in a car she had finally decided to buy, to fetch Canaan and the newest addition to their family. Alphard shook her head, still wondering how Canaan had managed to convince her to actually do it. She thought back, remembering the argument they had had not even a year ago, just as things had gone back to being peaceful.

_They had been lying in bed, cuddling and just listening to each other's breathing when Canaan sat up and regarded Alphard with a curious look. _

"_Alphard," she asked in the tone of voice that Alphard recognised. It was one that the white haired girl used when she knew Alphard would be difficult. "Please?"_

"_Please what, my love?" Alphard responded._

"_Remember what I asked last night before we went to bed?"_

"_I already told you Canaan, my answer is no."_

"_But, Alphard, don't you want to hear the patter of little feet?"_

"_The sound of your feet is enough for me." The ex-terrorist responded smartly. _

"_But don't you want to have another addition to our family?"_

"_You're all the family I need." To emphasise her point, Alphard leaned forward and placed a tender kiss against her love's forehead._

"_Why don't you want this?" Canaan pouted, trying her best to convince her stubborn lover._

"_Well, it will cost money to look after."_

"_Money isn't a problem for us. You know that's a lame excuse."_

_Alphard thought for a moment. "It's a big responsibility."_

"_We can handle that because we'll be doing it together."_

"_It will mess!" _

"_That isn't such a big deal, we can just clean up after it. That's part of the deal, isn't it?"_

"_Okay, then what about getting up during the night?"_

"_We'll take shifts."_

"_You're not letting this go, are you?" Alphard looked up at the ceiling and sighed._

"_Please Alphard, you won't regret it, I promise! This will be the best decision you've ever made. Alphard?" Canaan ran a finger along Alphard's jaw, waiting for those eyes she loved to turn to her once more. "I love you, and I know it seems like I'm pressuring you, but I know we're ready for this."_

"_I know, it's just…"_

"_I believe in you, I know you can do it. Just give it some thought, please? For me?"_

"_You know I'd do anything for you." Alphard sighed. "Okay, I'll think about it. But it is a big responsibility, and though I can handle it, I don't know if I want to handle it."_

"_Okay, thank you." Canaan felt strong arms pull her into a hug, and accepted the lips that sought hers out. They kissed for a long moment, not feeling the need to do more even though it was tempting._

"_Is it my turn to make breakfast?" Canaan asked after a long moment of blissful silence. In reply Alphard nodded. She watched as Canaan jumped out of bed and shuffled out of the room, admiring her fiancé's firm behind. _

_She rested back down with her hands behind her head and thought that maybe, just maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to add to their family after all._

"And now it's happening. That girl has me wrapped around her finger, and she knows it." Alphard said out loud to the steering wheel, wondering what it would say in reply if it could talk. She wasn't displeased by the decision; it was more of the fact that she had never considered it until she had Canaan back in her life.

She would never have done this had she remained on her own. It just wasn't really something she would have wanted, but now she secretly did.

She parked in front of the building where her darling lover was waiting for her, and looked up at it with a twinge of nervousness.

"Calm down Alphard, you don't get nervous. It will be okay. You can do this." She coached herself as she left the safety of her car and entered the building.

When she spotted the familiar glow of Canaan's white hair, she swallowed and walked up behind her. The former soldier wrapped her arms around the synesthete's waist and rested her chin against her shoulder. She looked down into Canaan's arms, finding innocent blue eyes staring up at her.

"Have you named her yet?" Alphard asked.

"No, I wanted us to do it together."

"Give her here." Alphard released her wife and took the little bundle from her. She held the bundle protectively against her chest, feeling the warmth of her body. Suddenly a wet tongue darted out and licked Alphard across the cheek and a tail started wagging.

"Aw she likes you. I knew she would." Canaan giggled at the wide eyed look on Alphard's face. "Oh geez Alphard, she just licked you."

Alphard held the husky puppy away from her chest and regarded her with sceptical eyes. The dark furred puppy cocked its head to the side, wondering what its human mother was doing. Alphard opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by an adorably young bark. She tried again, only to have the puppy bark again, followed by a playful growl.

The innocent creature decided to use Alphard's hand as a chew toy, and proceeded to growl all through her chewing match. Alphard just watched with amusement.

"She's a tough one. I approve. Good choice my love." Alphard pulled Canaan against her and gave the puppy over to the synesthete before she broke a tooth. The puppy wasn't happy with being separated from her newest toy and whimpered in displeasure.

"You're probably tasty." Canaan commented. Alphard gave her a raised eyebrow and grinned.

"Of course you would know." She winked at her love and laughed when she blushed.

"Alphard!" Canaan sighed in exasperation but smiled, secretly loving it when Alphard teased her.

"So is the adoption done? Papers signed?"

"Not yet, we just need to name her."

"Ah, okay."

The couple turned to the excited puppy, watching as she jumped around in Canaan's arms and wagged her tail like crazy. She seemed to be having the time of her life.

"How about Alphard Junior?"

"Are you serious?"

"I am…"

Alphard just looked at Canaan with an incredulous expression.

"That's a no then. Why don't you think of something?"

"How about Skye?"

"Should I laugh?"

Alphard growled, causing the puppy to snap to her in attention at the sound. They both looked at the puppy for a moment more, who stared right back in wonder.

A single thought graced both of their minds at roughly the same moment, memories and past emotions filling their hearts for a second before it disappeared.

"Sia." They both said together, and then exchanged surprised looks. The puppy squirmed in delight.

"Sia," Alphard said again. The husky pup seemed to respond to the name by struggling free and leaping at Alphard. The former terrorist caught the dog before she hurt herself and pointed a finger at the puppy. "No Sia, don't fling yourself at me like that, you'll kill yourself." The puppy's ears folded against her head, her face taking on a guilty look. She obviously knew she had done something wrong and now her mommy was mad at her.

"That's her name then. Little Sia. I like it." Canaan removed the adoption papers and completed the form by scribbling in the name. After that they finalized the adoption, thanked the pet shop for their help and then left for the car with an excited puppy in hand.

"Do you think she'll be alright on the beach?" Alphard asked in concern as she started the car and drove towards their house.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. We'll just have to watch her." Sia made a series of excited puppy noises from her spot on Canaan's lap.

Alphard reached over and found Canaan's hand. She smiled when their fingers intertwined and Canaan gently squeezed her hand.

"So we're officially doggie parents, huh?"

"We sure are. But admit it, you love her already." They stopped at a red light, giving Alphard the chance to lean over and surprise Canaan with a deep kiss.

"Give me a few days to respond to that." Alphard sat back and put her seatbelt back on. The light turned green and the raven-head drove on. A few minutes later they turned onto the road that had been built by Alphard's request. It was just a dirt road that skirted around the trees and vegetation, but reached their home eventually.

Alphard parked the car beside the house and climbed out. They intertwined their fingers once Canaan had joined Alphard on the walk up to the house.

"Welcome to your new home, Sia." Canaan placed the puppy down on the floor once they had entered the house, and watched as she yapped in delight and bounded over the carpet. Sia scurried all around, sniffing and exploring until she had worn herself out. When the time came for bed time, Alphard placed the little puppy in her dog bed at the foot of their human bed and climbed in beside Canaan.

She had just curled her body around Canaan's when a miserable yelp broke the silence.

"No Sia, you sleep on the floor." Alphard called out to the dog. She placed her lips against Canaan's shoulder and trailed soft kisses along her neck, jawline, and then finally to her lips. Just as the kiss deepened the mood was broken by a howl of despair.

"Alphard, she's only a puppy. She's still scared." Canaan tried to smooth her love's frown away with a finger. "Just for tonight." The synesthete suggested. When there was no protest, Canaan retrieved the puppy and let her curl up on the bed.

"Just tonight, that's it." Alphard warned. She watched Sia turn in sleepy circles until she curled up into a ball, yawned and then fell asleep. It was difficult not to smile.

"Goodnight my love." Alphard gave Canaan one more lengthy kiss before they snuggled together under the blanket and closed their eyes.

"Alphard?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Alphard's heart skipped a beat. "I love you too, Canaan."

* * *

The next day Canaan woke before her love and their puppy. When she had extracted herself from Alphard's body and climbed out of bed, she nearly died from the cuteness.

Alphard was fast asleep with Sia curled up on her pillow right beside her head. Canaan swore that if Alphard had been a dog she would have been Sia's mother. She chuckled at the thought and then she took a shower, and afterwards made breakfast.

Just as the food was nearing its completion the silver eyed synesthete heard rapid little footsteps echoing from the hallway, and soon enough a little ball of black emerged from the passage and skidded along the wooden floor over to Canaan's feet, where a pink tongue emerged and attack a foot with all the love in the world.

Canaan chuckled and picked Sia up. She received a lick on the forehead and then carried the puppy over to her bowl, where fresh doggie breakfast awaited. Sia went to work on eating the second her mouth was close enough to the food.

Since Alphard was still in her usual comatose sleep, Canaan put her girlfriend's food in the microwave and then ate her own breakfast alone. When she was done she took her dishes over to the dish washer and set about putting the items in.

Alphard appeared from the hallway, looking sexy with her black boxers, black t-shirt and dishevelled hair.

"Morni-" Alphard stopped her greeting the moment she had stepped forward. She looked down, grimaced, and then looked up at Canaan in horror.

"Oh that must suck…" Canaan commented lightly, trying her best not to laugh.

"Why did I ever agree to this?" Alphard complained and limped to the bathroom. Canaan chuckled softly and cleaned Sia's mess from the floor. Her grumpy girlfriend returned a few minutes later, looking thoroughly miserable. "Hey, puppies do that. We still need to house train her. From today on we should focus on where we put our feet.

"Canaan." Alphard said distractedly, looking across the room. Canaan followed her gaze and gasped.

"Sia, no!" Canaan ran over to the puppy and picked her up, removing her shoe from the puppy's jaws. Luckily Sia's teeth weren't sharp enough to do any damage. The naughty dog simply wagged her tail and stuck her tongue out. The act was enough to melt Canaan on the spot.

"Oh dear, that dog already has you under her spell." Alphard commented from her spot in the kitchen and chuckled. She watched as Canaan walked towards her with a bundle of fur in her arms.

"Say a proper morning to your other mommy, Sia." Canaan scratched Sia behind the ear.

"Come here you little shit." Alphard said with a grin and took the dog from her girlfriend.

After giving Sia a long speech on how she should choose better locations to do her business in, preferably one where she wouldn't end up stepping in it, they dressed comfortably and then took the puppy out for a walk on the beach.

Alphard put an arm around Canaan's shoulders, pulling her closer against her. Canaan wrapped her arms around her love's waist and rested her head against her shoulder as they walked. Little Sia lost her mind with all the new and exciting things she was experiencing.

After walking for a while, the couple decided to sit down and simply watch Sia enjoy herself. The puppy chased after the water as it receded back, and then yelped in terror and ran like hell once the water moved forward on the sand. She repeated this several times before she noticed a crab and darted after it.

Alphard watched all of this with a smile. Even though her morning had started out bad, she was feeling happier than usual. She pulled Canaan onto her lap and then fell backwards.

The raven-head wrapped her arms around the love of her life, and then pulled her in for a passionate, deeply love filled kiss. They lost track of time, the world faded away and they possibly even forgot their names as their lips moved and tongues danced together.

Sia noticed her mommies being affectionate and decided that she didn't like being left out, so she ran over to them and jumped right in between them. This ended their passionate kiss.

Alphard wanted to get upset for the interruption, but that dog was so damn cute. They laughed together and scratched Sia's tummy. Her leg twitched wildly in enjoyment and her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth.

Even though things weren't going to stay easy and fun, Alphard was happy. She was happier than she had ever been. Canaan looked to Alphard and noticed the adoring look directed at her.

"And that look?"

"I love you, Canaan. I don't think I've said it enough."

"You don't need to say it. I feel it every time you look at me and when you kiss me." She leaned forward, giving Alphard a peck. "I love you more, Alphard."

"Stay with me forever."

"You sure forever is enough?"

"It isn't, but it will have to do." They smiled together, and then kissed again.

Despite the hurt and tragedy, the revenge and hate, they had managed to overcome it all and find the most precious thing in existence; their love. And surely they would continue to grow in their love as they learnt and grew together, to eventually grow old and grey together.

And surely they would meet in the next life, and perhaps their story would start out a little more cheerfully. Of course, they would be together forever.

"Let's head back." Alphard suggested. She helped Canaan to her feet and then intertwined their fingers. They shared one more kiss before they turned and headed back to their home, walking into their future and starting their life together that would create happy memories and bring many smiles to their faces. And no matter what, Canaan and Alphard knew that all their suffering was worth it, for the happiness that they felt now. It was worth it.

The End.


End file.
